US Domestic — 2026-08-23

Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Editor Publisher and Reporter After Editorial Independence Dispute

BLUFPentagon leadership will likely remove additional Stars and Stripes editorial staff within 90 days, having established insubordination as the standing rationale for any assertion of editorial independence.

The Pentagon on Friday issued separation notices to Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte 1234. Slavin and Korte said the Pentagon cited insubordination, tied to a CBS Sunday Morning interview last month in which Slavin called potential censorship of news for service members a "red line" and Korte said she worked for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon 134. Lederer had announced his retirement Tuesday, citing a philosophy that differed "in fundamental ways" from Pentagon leadership, and was separated before his planned September 30 departure 13. A Pentagon official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the notices and referred comment to an open letter from Navy Capt. William Urban, installed this week as military deputy to the publisher 13.

Analysis
The Pentagon likely will move against at least one more Stars and Stripes editorial staff member for asserting editorial independence within the next 90 days. This judgment reflects high confidence, given the consistent pattern of personnel actions since April's ombudsman firing and the specific insubordination rationale applied here to two staffers who made near-identical public statements. Urban's installation as military deputy to the publisher and the new content directive on national-security-related coverage give Pentagon leadership a standing mechanism to flag additional stories or statements as violations, extending the same insubordination logic to reporters covering sensitive deployments. Remaining staff at Stars and Stripes now face a binary choice between self-censorship and termination on any story touching troop welfare or Pentagon policy.

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