"Plans for more Defense Department control surface after job applicants were asked about their commitment to President Donald Trump’s policies."
"The Defense Department said it plans to overhaul Stars and Stripes, the storied military newspaper that has long enjoyed editorial independence, to rid it of “woke distractions” and refocus coverage on “warfighting.”
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, announced the plan in a Thursday morning post on X.
“The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters,” Parnell wrote, using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Defense Department. He wrote that the Pentagon will “modernize” the publication and “refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members.”
“Stars & Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters,” Parnell continued. “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY.” He added that the publication will cease publishing “repurposed DC gossip columns” and “Associated Press reprints.”"
Liam Scott and Scott Nover report for the Washington Post January 15, 2026.
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