Max D. Lederer Jr., publisher of the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes for 19 years, announced his retirement effective Sept. 30, writing to staff that his leadership philosophy and understanding of the publication's mission "differ in fundamental ways" from the direction set by Department of Defense leadership.
The departure follows months of friction between the newspaper and the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused the publication of promoting "woke distractions", and Pentagon officials discussed firing Lederer before his scheduled retirement. In January, spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department would reorient the paper's content and return it to its "original mission" of reporting for service members. The Pentagon in April removed Jacqueline Smith, the publication's congressionally mandated reader ombudsman, who had been charged with protecting editorial independence.
Tensions escalated after Stars and Stripes reported on low morale and suicide attempts aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during a record-length deployment. The publication, which receives roughly 65% of its funding from the Defense Department, is governed by First Amendment principles and designates itself as editorially independent.