Hegseth’s Pentagon fires watchdog for its own military publication Stars and Stripes

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsHegseth’s Pentagon fires watchdog for its own military publication Stars and Stripes‘Apparently the Pentagon also doesn’t want you to hear from me anymore about threats to the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes. They fired me,’ ombudsman Jacqueline Smith wroteMike Bedigan in New York Saturday 25 April 2026 00:36 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2964715","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/stars-and-stripes-hegseth-watchdog-fired-b2964715.html","title":"Hegseth’s Pentagon fires watchdog for its own military publication Stars and Stripes"}}CloseNavy Secretary ousted in latest top military departure from Trump administration as US wages war in IranSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_INSIDE_WASHINGTON","regTitle":"Inside Washington","subscriptionGroup":"inside_washington","subscriptionGroupId":"af764e04-87eb-45e6-a84b-a7455ba70a1e","type":"inside_washington","pathPrefix":"/news/world/americas/us-politics","associatedAuthors":["Eric Garcia","John Bowden"],"title":"Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Washington email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/insideWashington1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email",...