The Pentagon has issued a new “modernization plan” for Stars & Stripes that would impact the longstanding military publication’s reporting coverage, causing editorial leadership “deep concern” about the future of independent journalism.
In mid-January 2026, the Pentagon announced via social media that it would alter the newspaper’s editorial objectives to stray from “woke distractions” and instead devote more literary capital toward “reporting for our warfighters.” It struck Stars & Stripes editorial staff as quite the “surprise,” with newsroom leaders vowing to follow the freedom and independence afforded by the Constitution.
Stars & Stripes reported Friday that an 8-page memo, written by Pentagon leaders and combatant commanders and without Stars and Stripes’ input, limits the use of wire services, bars comics and other syndicated features, and states that content must be consistent with “good order and discipline,” borrowing a phrase from the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“My first reaction was one of deep concern for our newsgathering and for our readers,” Stars & Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin told Military.com on Saturday afternoon. “The memo says that Stars and Stripes is unofficial and independent. At the same time, it restricts what news sources can be published and directs that Stars and Stripes should publish official information along with its staff stories.
We’ve sought to have a conversation with Defense Department officials ever since the Jan. 15 social media post discussed changes. We have yet to receive a reply to our request to discuss the organization’s future.
The only message the publication has received from the Pentagon, according to Slavin, was a statement they issued on Friday regarding a story about the new memo that was discovered via Department of Defense website search.
‘Warfighter’ Agenda
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Military.com that the department is “returning S&S to its original mission: an independent news source for service members stationed overseas that is by the warfighter and for the warfighter.”
“This will be achieved through a comprehensive modernization of S&S operations, including a transition from print to digital, transition to uniformed staff at locations outside the continental U.S., and other efficiency measures that will eliminate redundancies and ensure smart use of DOW resources,” Parnell said. “The Department’s effort will evolve S&S to meet industry trends and changes in how new generations of Service members consume media.”
It remains to be seen what that will entail, as the Pentagon has not yet elaborated on specifics. Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer reportedly told U.S.-based staff of the memo on Thursday, with intentions to meet with organizational leaders on implementation.
“That response left several of our questions unanswered and raised some new ones,” Slavin said.
The Pentagon “may not be aware of the extensive modernization” already started by Stars and Stripes, said Slavin, pointing to previous changes to the publication’s digitally produced news and information that have resulted “in significant increases in pageviews, engagement, video viewership and subscribers.
He said there is “particular concern” about the “good order and discipline” phrase and legal implications on military reporters, of which Stars & Stripes employs active-duty servicemembers who report for 1-3 years and are mentored by professional civilian journalists.
“We are seeking clarification from the Pentagon,” Slavin added.
An Independent Voice Since the Civil War
Parnell also said the Pentagon’s effort as it relates to Stars & Stripes includes “a transition from print to digital, transition to uniformed staff at locations outside the continental U.S., and other efficiency measures that will eliminate redundancies and ensure smart use of DOW resources.”
It would represent a sea change for a newspaper first published by Union troops during the Civil War, becoming a mainstay notably since World War II with print editions still published overseas as well as a U.S. weekly edition. It also distributes copies to combat zones.
“The print newspaper continues to be read at overseas bases around the world and is particularly popular in areas where commercial internet service is restricted or unreliable,” Slavin said. “The pickup rate is very high in remote parts of Kuwait, for example. It would be very difficult to restart if shuttered entirely.”
Any restrictions on wire content would also negatively impact coverage, he said, due to limited manpower or other news organizations having paywalls or not being curated in service members’ best interests.
Comics, national sports, state-by-state roundups and other content soon may no longer be published due to the limits of the memo, Slavin added.
“Feedback from deployed troops tells us that this will not be a popular decision.
Stars and Stripes has begun processing its compliance with the memo, with “no plans to commingle independent staff reporting with military public relations content.”
“Stars and Stripes remains committed to balanced and accurate reporting on behalf of the military community we serve, to the greatest extent that we are able,” Slavin said.