Pentagon fires longtime leaders from military newspaper Stars and Stripes for alleged insubordination

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Key points

• Stars and Stripes' longtime publisher Max Lederer, its editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte were issued their dismissal notices, Fox News Digital confirmed.
• The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters, Parnell posted on X in January.
• Slavin was appointed editor-in-chief of Stars in Stripes in September 2025.
• The Pentagon kicked off 2026 by announcing its overhaul of the long-running newspaper.
• The Pentagon fired the top brass at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and one of its reporters Friday over alleged insubordination.

For context, the Pentagon fired the top brass at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and one of its reporters Friday over alleged insubordination.

In practice, the firings, first documented by CBS News, stem from Slavin and Korte's unauthorized participation in a "CBS Sunday Morning" segment that aired last month concerning the Pentagon's efforts to overhaul the paper and Lederer's refusal to fire them at the direction of Pentagon leadership, a source familiar with the matter informed Fox News Digital.

"According to the notice, I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line. The Pentagon's public affairs office has charged me with insubordination, " Slavin remarked in an official note to Fox News Digital.

"I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department's own policies."

Slavin was appointed editor-in-chief of Stars in Stripes in September 2025. He joined the paper in 2005 as a reporter in Japan and afterwards an embed reporter with U.S. Forces in Iraq, his work eventually taking him throughout the globe, according to the paper's report concerning the firings.

Korte, who joined the paper in 2024, took to social media, posting on X, "Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration and not any policy maker."

"I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories. It's a shame for the institution and service members. This person swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press, " Korte wrote.

"I'm proud of the work my colleagues and I do at Stars and Stripes, especially the last six months covering the protracted conflict in Iran. Military families and service members have trusted us to share their experience with the world and I don't take that lightly."

Lederer, an Army veteran who joined Stars and Stripes in 1992 and has served as its publisher for 19 years, previously confirmed to staff his intention was to retire at the end of September due to "fundamental" differences he had with Pentagon leadership on the direction of the paper.

"I have thought a great deal about the right time to step aside, and I have concluded that this is it, " Lederer wrote, according to a Stars and Stripes report on his retirement. "I leave with real pride in what we have accomplished together and with complete confidence in what you will accomplish next."

Meanwhile, the fired staffers were granted five days to appeal their dismissals, Fox News Digital has learned.

When asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesman cited an open letter to stakeholders penned by Military Deputy to the Publisher Captain William Urban, a portion of which was shared on X by Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

"We may never be able to have the same impact for our service members digitally that our paper had during World War II in a vastly different media environment, but I additionally believe that we can do better – that we must do better for our most notable constituency, the men and women who create up the U.S. Armed Forces, " Urban wrote.

"My vision for the future of Stars and Stripes is simple: More eyeballs on our content and more impact on our service members while maintaining the highest standard of professional journalism with the credibility that comes with editorial independence."

In practice, a spokesperson for Stars and Stripes cited its own report on the firings and declined to comment further. Neither Lederer nor Korte responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

For context, the Pentagon kicked off 2026 by announcing its overhaul of the long-running newspaper.

The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters, Parnell posted on X in January. We are bringing Stars & Stripes into the 21st century. We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members. Start your day with all you need to know. Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

"Stars & Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters. It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints. Stars & Stripes has a proud legacy of reporting news that's significant to our service members. For context, the Department of War is committed to ensuring the outlet continues to reflect that proud legacy."

In practice, the Pentagon fired the Stars and Stripes ombudsman in April after being an outspoken critic of the Trump administration's oversight of the paper.

Taken together, the developments around pentagon fires longtime leaders from military newspaper Stars and Stripes for alleged point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.