The U.S. Department of Defense dismissed the editor-in-chief, the publisher, and a reporter from Stars and Stripes on Friday. The personnel actions followed public statements by the staff members regarding editorial independence and potential military interference at the news outlet. The Department of Defense, which provides partial funding for the newspaper, cited insubordination as the reason for the terminations.
Stars and Stripes is a military news organization that has historically maintained editorial independence from the Pentagon under department policy and federal law. The dismissals occurred amid a broader shift in the Defense Department's approach to the publication. In January, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the outlet would be "custom tailored" to focus on warfighting and military topics rather than reprinted content or political columns. In April, the Pentagon also dismissed the newspaper's ombudsman, a position intended to protect editorial integrity.
Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin stated he was fired for telling CBS that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would be a "red line." Reporter Lara Korte said she was dismissed after telling the same network that she worked for the newspaper rather than the Pentagon or the administration. Publisher Max Lederer, who had already announced his retirement effective in late September, was also separated from the organization. Lederer noted in a memo that his understanding of the publication's mission differed fundamentally from current Department of Defense leadership.
The scale of the change involves the replacement of civilian leadership with military oversight. Earlier in August, the Pentagon installed Navy Capt. William Urban as a military deputy publisher without the prior knowledge of the civilian publisher. Urban, who has 20 years of experience in public affairs but no formal journalism experience, has stated he plans to focus on expanding digital journalism to reach younger service members. This shift toward military-led management marks a departure from the two-decade tenure of civilian publisher Max Lederer and the oversight of the recently dismissed ombudsman.
Service members and their families may notice changes in the publication's content as the Pentagon moves to eliminate what it calls "woke distractions." The stated goal of the Defense Department is to focus content on weapons systems, fitness, and lethality, while removing Associated Press reprints and outside political columns. The dismissal of the ombudsman in April and the leadership on Friday establishes a precedent for more direct executive branch control over the outlet's output. Capt. Urban has not yet confirmed if he will officially succeed Lederer as head publisher, stating only that he cannot comment on his future role.