The Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman tasked by Congress with protecting Stars and Stripes' editorial independence, without explaining why. Smith had repeatedly warned that Pentagon leadership was attempting to control the military newspaper by restricting its content — including banning syndicated news from AP and Reuters and removing color comics — which Congress mandated it protect from political interference. The firing comes six days after two Democratic senators warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that removing the ombudsman would undermine a 35-year-old institutional safeguard, and it signals the Pentagon may be circumventing Congress by eliminating the watchdog rather than the position itself.