News organizations will be allowed to photograph the homecomings of America's war dead under a new Pentagon policy, defense and congressional officials said Thursday.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Thursday that the Pentagon has changed its policy to allow media coverage of fallen soldiers arriving at Dover Air Base in Delaware, but only when the family approves. The current ban was put in place in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush.

"The president is supportive of the secretary's decision," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, media has been forbidden access to images of flag-draped coffins returning to U.S. soil. Critics of the policy accused the Bush administration of hiding the "true cost of war."

But Gates told reporters Thursday that speculation over the ban's intent was of no concern to him.

"This policy was first put in place in 1991 ... as far as I'm concerned, that's ancient history and I'm not going to try to figure out the motives," he said.

Obama asked Secretary Gates for a review of the policy earlier this month. Gates said he initially asked for the ban to be reviewed a year ago, and was advised then that family members might feel uncomfortable with opening the ceremonies to media for privacy reasons or that the relatives might feel pressure to attend the services despite financial stresses. Now families will be able decide if they want the public to witness the returning war dead.

"I think that the thing we always have to keep at the forefront of our minds...should be the families and giving them choices," Gates said.

At least two Democratic senators have called on Obama to let news photographers attend ceremonies at the air base and other military facilities when military remains are returned to the United States. The Dover base is where casualties are brought before they are transferred on to the hometowns of their families.

Shortly after Obama took office, Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also asked the White House to roll back the 1991 ban.

The new policy, which still has some details to be worked out, closely resembles the one at Arlington National Cemetery.

FOX News' Justin Fishel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.