The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte on Friday, citing insubordination in a sweeping leadership overhaul of the military newspaper.
The Pentagon on Friday fired the publisher and editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, the storied military newspaper, along with a senior reporter, in the latest step of a sweeping overhaul of the outlet under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte all received separation notices, with Pentagon officials citing insubordination. The shakeup marks a decisive move to bring the taxpayer-funded paper back in line with its core mission of serving the warfighter.
Lederer had announced his retirement earlier this week, effective Sept. 30, after nearly two decades in the publisher's chair. The Pentagon confirmed the firings and said the three employees have five days to appeal. The separation notices cap a week of major changes at the paper, which has covered the U.S. military since the Civil War.
Lederer, an Army veteran who joined Stars and Stripes in 1992, acknowledged in a memo to staff that his philosophy of leadership and his understanding of the paper's mission differ in fundamental ways from the direction the Department of Defense has for the organization. Pentagon officials said Lederer was fired for cause due to insubordination.
Slavin and Korte were dismissed over their participation in a CBS News interview in which they objected to any Pentagon role in shaping the paper's coverage. Slavin said his separation notice stated he was being fired for saying that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line. Korte said she was told she was being fired for telling a reporter that she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker.
The firings are the latest step in an overhaul the Trump administration launched in January to return Stars and Stripes to its original mission. Pentagon officials said at the time that the department would refocus the paper's content away from woke distractions and custom tailor it to the troops. The outlet receives a large share of its funding from the Defense Department, and Pentagon leadership has argued the paper drifted from its purpose in recent years.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon also removed the paper's ombudsman, the watchdog position Congress created to monitor editorial independence. That move followed months of friction between the department and the paper's leadership over its direction.
This week, the Pentagon installed Navy Capt. Bill Urban, an active-duty public affairs officer, as military deputy to the publisher -- an appointment made without consulting Lederer. Urban introduced himself to staff in an open letter Friday, saying the paper is in need of modernization and that he has received multiple assurances from Pentagon leadership that they remain committed to the outlet's editorial independence.
The leadership changes come as the paper faces questions about its recent reporting on living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which returned to San Diego after an extended Middle East deployment. Military leaders pushed back on the coverage, saying it did not reflect the ship's readiness and morale.
The three dismissed employees have five days to appeal their separations. The Pentagon declined to comment further on the individual cases, citing personnel matters.
Some Democratic senators have objected to Urban's appointment, writing to Hegseth that placing an active-duty public affairs officer in the senior leadership of an organization whose credibility depends on its independence raises serious questions. They have demanded a detailed explanation by Aug. 28.
For the administration, the shakeup clears the way for a Stars and Stripes focused on mission readiness and the interests of the troops it serves, rather than institutional turf battles. The message from the Pentagon is clear: the paper exists to serve the warfighter, and its leadership will be held to that standard.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte on Friday, citing insubordination in a sweeping leadership overhaul of the military newspaper.
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