Hegseth’s Takeover of Military Newspaper (w/ Jacqueline Smith) | Command Post

About this episode

The episode discusses the dismissal of Jacqueline Smith from Stars and Stripes and its implications for military press independence.

The Pentagon is under fire after the Jacqueline Smith, ombudsman for Stars and Stripes, says she was dismissed for raising concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. What does this mean for press independence inside the military? Read more from Jacqueline's op-ed: https://www.stripes.com/opinion/2026-04-23/stripes-former-ombudsman-pentagon-trying-to-silence-21465037.html For a limited time, listeners can get an exclusive $25 off AuraFrame's best-selling Carver Matframe at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES with code BULWARKTAKES. Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events

People in this episode

Guest: Jacqueline Smith

Topics covered

• military press independence
• Pentagon controversy
• ombudsman dismissal
• media freedom
• politics

Keywords

• Jacqueline Smith
• Stars and Stripes
• Pentagon
• Pete Hegseth
• military newspaper
• press independence
• ombudsman

Sponsors

AuraFrame

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stars and Stripes, Pentagon

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