WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pentagon officials have discussed firing Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes, before his scheduled retirement. Lederer announced his decision to retire as publisher effective September 30.

Lederer cited fundamental differences with the Department of Defense leadership regarding the mission and direction of Stars and Stripes as the reason for his retirement. "It has become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization," Lederer said in a memo to staff. "I will do everything I can to make sure the transition is smooth for each of you." Lederer has served as the publisher of Stars and Stripes for 19 years. He is the second full-time civilian to serve as publisher.

Sean Parnell, Chief Pentagon spokesman, stated in January that the Pentagon would modernize Stars and Stripes operations and refocus its content away from "woke distractions." "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," Parnell said on social media. "Stars and 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," Parnell wrote.

Pete Hegseth is the Defense Secretary. The Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman for Stars and Stripes, less than four months before Lederer's retirement announcement. Smith's job as ombudsman was to safeguard editorial independence at Stars and Stripes. "No one should be surprised that they’re kicking out the one person charged by Congress with protecting Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence," Smith wrote in a column.

Stars and Stripes receives approximately 65% of its funding from the Defense Department. Roughly half of Stars and Stripes' budget comes from the Pentagon. Stars and Stripes staff members are considered Defense Department employees. An average of 1.4 million people see Stars and Stripes each day.

Print delivery of Stars and Stripes declined from about 7 million annual copies in 2019 to 6.2 million in 2024. Unique visitors to stripes.com fell about 30% between 2019 and 2024, from 20 million to 14 million a year. Stars and Stripes was projected to spend about $400,000 this year on subscription services for content appearing on its pages. Stars and Stripes no longer uses wire services such as Reuters or The Associated Press.

Stars and Stripes reported on deteriorating housing, problems in barracks, and allegations of neglect at military child care centers. Stars and Stripes reported on the families of sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier confronting the acting Navy secretary about the nearly nine-month deployment. Stars and Stripes reported on flagging morale and suicide attempts by US service members on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. The USS Abraham Lincoln broke the US Navy record for the length of its deployment without a port stop.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower defended Stars and Stripes during World War II and wanted it to be free from propaganda and influence from military brass. Stars and Stripes was founded in 1861. News organizations were evicted from their workspaces in the Pentagon in 2025 unless they consented to restrictive new policies imposed by the Trump administration. The Pentagon declared its press office a classified space and instituted a policy that journalists must be accompanied by an escort on Pentagon grounds.

A judge paused a policy requiring journalists to have escorts to access the Pentagon in June. A panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the Pentagon escort policy could stand, overturning a lower court decision.

Why It Matters

The departure of the publisher follows the removal of the ombudsman responsible for protecting editorial independence, raising questions about the future of the publication's autonomy within the Department of Defense. With roughly half of its budget coming from the Pentagon and staff considered Defense Department employees, the newspaper operates under significant institutional oversight while serving an average of 1.4 million people daily.

The Pentagon's stated goal to refocus content away from certain topics and toward warfighting specifics marks a shift in editorial direction that contrasts with historical precedents set by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. This change occurs during broader restrictions on press access to the Pentagon, including escort policies upheld by federal courts, and follows a period of declining print and digital readership for the publication.

What's New

Rufus Friday wrote to congressional leaders stating that the installation of a new deputy by the Pentagon without the publisher’s prior knowledge threatens Stars and Stripes's editorial independence.

Jacqueline Smith's job as ombudsman was to safeguard editorial independence at Stars and Stripes.

How Sources Differ

There are also differing accounts regarding the employment status of the newspaper's personnel and its funding structure. One source indicates that Stars and Stripes staff members are considered Defense Department employees, while other sources emphasize that Stars and Stripes receives approximately 65% of its funding from the Defense Department. Additionally, some reports note Lederer's statement that his philosophy of leadership differs in fundamental ways from the direction the Department of Defense has for the organization, alongside the data on funding percentages.