Pentagon Dismisses Senior Stars and Stripes Staff Amid Disputes Over Editorial Independence

The Pentagon has removed several key figures from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, including its publisher, editor-in-chief, and a reporter, citing alleged insubordination. This move comes amidst a broader effort by the Department of Defense to redefine the publication's mission and content focus.

Staff Dismissals and Statements

Terry Slavin, who was appointed editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes in September 2025, affirmed his commitment to the paper's autonomy. “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 stated. He initially joined the newspaper in 2005 as a reporter based in Japan and later served as an embedded reporter with U.S. forces in Iraq, with his assignments eventually spanning the globe.

Reporter Caitlin Korte, who became part of the Stars and Stripes team in 2024, shared her perspective on social media. She posted on X, stating, “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.”

Korte further expressed her sentiments regarding her role and the broader implications of the decision:

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, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press. 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.

Prior to these dismissals, Max Lederer, an Army veteran and the paper's publisher for 19 years, had already announced his intention to retire by the end of September. Lederer, who joined Stars and Stripes in 1992, cited “fundamental” differences with Pentagon leadership regarding the direction of the newspaper as his reason for stepping down.

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

Pentagon's Vision for the Publication

When questioned about the situation, a Pentagon spokesperson referred to an open letter addressed to stakeholders by Captain William Urban, the Military Deputy to the Publisher. A segment of this letter was shared on X by Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

Captain Urban outlined his vision for the future of Stars and Stripes, emphasizing the need to adapt to the contemporary media landscape while maintaining journalistic integrity:

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 also believe that we can do better — that we must do better for our most important constituency, the men and women who make up the U.S. Armed Forces. 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.

The Pentagon initiated an overhaul of the long-standing newspaper at the start of 2026. In January, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X, detailing the department's intentions:

The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters. 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. 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 important to our service members. The Department of War is committed to ensuring the outlet continues to reflect that proud legacy.

This series of personnel changes follows a previous incident in April, when the Pentagon dismissed the Stars and Stripes ombudsman after the individual had openly criticized the Trump administration's oversight of the newspaper.