Pentagon moves to overhaul independent US military newspaper

by AFP Staff Writers
Washington, United States (AFP) Jan 16, 2026
The US Defense Department said Thursday it would overhaul the editorially independent, Pentagon-funded Stars and Stripes military newspaper to refocus the publication away from "woke distractions."

Stars and Stripes was first published over 150 years ago and is authorized by Congress to remain free from political interference despite being funded by the Department of Defense.

The paper will adapt "to serve a new generation of service members," including by stopping the publication of reports by the independent Associated Press wire service, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X.

"Stars & Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters. It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY," he wrote.

The announcement came days after the Washington Post reported that applicants to the military newspaper have been asked how they would support President Donald Trump's priorities, raising concerns about its independence.

Stars and Stripes was first published by Union soldiers during the Civil War in 1861 and has been continually published since World War II, according to its website.

Its reports focus on the military community and range from news to entertainment.

The paper's leadership had not been aware the Trump administration was asking applicants about how they would support the president's policies, Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman who guards the paper's independence, told the Post.

Smith said asking such a question "is antithetical to Stripes' journalistic and federally mandated mission."

Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin told NBC News that the paper "does not ask questions about policy support during job interviews."

PEN America, an organization that advocates for free expression, accused the Pentagon on Thursday of "trying to turn this independent newsroom into a mouthpiece for the administration's political messaging."

Parnell indicated the Pentagon planned to take a larger role in the newspaper's operations.

"Stars & Stripes has a proud legacy of reporting news that's important to our service members," Parnell said.

"The Department of War is committed to ensuring the outlet continues to reflect that proud legacy."

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