Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Stars and Stripes Publisher Retires Amid Pentagon Differences
Stars and Stripes is a newspaper for members of the United States military and their families.
It works under the Department of Defense but is supposed to make its own editorial decisions.
Max D. Lederer Jr., its publisher since 2007, said he will retire.
He said his ideas about leading the newspaper did not match the Pentagon’s plans.
The Pentagon says it wants the publication to focus more on military subjects.
It has criticized what it called “woke distractions” and other types of coverage.
The newspaper recently reported on serious problems experienced by sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
It is not clear whether those reports affected Lederer’s decision.
Max D. Lederer Jr., publisher of Stars and Stripes since 2007, announced his retirement Tuesday.
Lederer said his leadership philosophy and understanding of the newspaper’s mission differed fundamentally from Defense Department plans.
Stars and Stripes operates under the Department of Defense while maintaining editorial independence.
The Pentagon recently dismissed ombudsman Jacqueline Smith and has said it wants to refocus the publication.
The newspaper and Military Times recently reported on hardships faced by the USS Abraham Lincoln crew after a lengthy deployment.
- Who
- Max D. Lederer Jr., publisher of Stars and Stripes, announced his retirement; the Pentagon and Stars and Stripes are involved in the wider dispute.
- What
- Lederer is stepping down amid reported differences with the Department of Defense over the newspaper’s leadership, mission, coverage, and funding.
- When
- The retirement was announced Tuesday; the Pentagon described its planned refocusing in January, and Jacqueline Smith was dismissed less than four months earlier.
- Where
- The issue concerns Stars and Stripes, a United States military newspaper operating under the Department of Defense.
- Why
- Lederer said his leadership philosophy and understanding of Stars and Stripes’ value and mission differed fundamentally from Defense Department plans.
Stars and Stripes’ Editorial Mission
Pentagon’s Proposed Refocus
Editorial independence
Stars and Stripes’ Editorial Mission
Stars and Stripes’ mission includes independent reporting for service members and their communities, and Jacqueline Smith argued that removing the ombudsman threatened protections for that independence.
Pentagon’s Proposed Refocus
The Defense Department has authority over the organization and says it wants to change its focus, though the articles do not state that it intends to eliminate editorial independence.
Coverage priorities
Stars and Stripes’ Editorial Mission
The newspaper has published reports on issues affecting military personnel, including accounts of suffering among the USS Abraham Lincoln crew.
Pentagon’s Proposed Refocus
Sean Parnell said the publication should focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and other military subjects rather than what he called “woke distractions,” repurposed Washington columns, and Associated Press reprints.
Lederer’s departure
Stars and Stripes’ Editorial Mission
Lederer said fundamental differences over leadership and the value and mission of Stars and Stripes made the time right for him to leave.
Pentagon’s Proposed Refocus
The Pentagon’s plans and recent actions, including Smith’s dismissal, provide the broader context, but the articles do not establish that the Pentagon directly caused Lederer’s retirement.
- Publisher
- Max D. Lederer Jr.
- Tenure
- Lederer took over as publisher in 2007.
- Publication
- Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper dating to the American Civil War era.
- Oversight
- The newspaper operates under the Department of Defense but is editorially independent.
- Pentagon plan
- Defense chief spokesman Sean Parnell said the publication would be refocused on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and other military topics.
- Recent personnel change
- The Pentagon fired ombudsman Jacqueline Smith, whose role included protecting editorial independence, less than four months before Lederer’s announcement.
- Recent coverage
- Stars and Stripes and Military Times published reports about hardships among the USS Abraham Lincoln crew after nearly nine months at sea.