3 Former Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Firings

Three former senior journalists with the Stars and Stripes military news outlet are suing the Trump administration after they were fired from the publication.

Former Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte are named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, which was filed in Washington on Aug. 27.

Lederer, Slavin, and Korte say they were victimized after speaking out about the administration’s alleged interference in their work, and claim their First Amendment rights to free speech were violated.

The publication, which reaches around 1.4 million readers every day, is partially funded by the Pentagon.

In January, U.S. Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell announced the Pentagon would bring the Stars and Stripes into the 21st century and return the publication to its original mission.

“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. “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and all things military.”

Slavin and Korte claim they were punished for publishing a report on deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on extended duty as a result of the ongoing conflict with Iran.

“In direct contravention of those First Amendment principles, Defendants are attempting to fire Plaintiffs for speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations, its need to reach all servicepersons, and in retaliation for their publication of a news report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln during its extended tour of duty in the Mid-East,” the lawsuit states.

The complaint said that on Aug. 12—the day after Stars and Stripes published an article headlined “USS Abraham Lincoln families press Navy leaders over sailors’ mental health”—Lederer was ordered by Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Andrew Brey to present Notices of Separation to Slavin and Korte that charge them with insubordination over remarks they made during an interview with CBS News on July 5.

In that interview, Slavin and Korte talked about the Pentagon’s altered stance on the Stars and Stripes, and the potential impact on its editorial independence.

The lawsuit states that instead of immediately complying with the order, Lederer contacted Brey on Aug. 17 to request clarification.

“Thank you Max. I appreciate your response. However, please deliver the notices as instructed,” Brey allegedly replied.

Publisher Refused to Fire Journalists

“Mr. Lederer did not deliver the notices,” the lawsuit stated, adding that he instead opted to retire immediately, informing the Stripes’ staff by email.

“Mr. Lederer took this step because he did not want to be part of Defendants’ scheme to illegally punish Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte for exercising their First Amendment rights,” the complaint said.

Lederer publicly announced his decision to retire, citing differences with the Pentagon, but was fired shortly afterward.

He also states that the Pentagon installed a new deputy publisher, who was a member of the armed forces, without his prior knowledge.

The plaintiffs, who are represented by attorneys from Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers for Good Government, Government Accountability Project, and a Yale Law School clinic, have named Brey, Parnell, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth among the defendants, as well as the Pentagon itself.

Slavin and Korte were interviewed in a segment on the CBS News show “CBS Sunday Morning” that was broadcast on July 5, the complaint said. The segment included quotes expressing concern about the independence of the publication.

In June, the Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the ombudsman for the Stars and Stripes, whose job it was to safeguard the publication’s editorial independence.

Fired Ombudsman Also Suing Pentagon

Smith filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon, Hegseth, Parnell, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg on June 25.

Smith’s term of employment was not due to end until December 2026, but she said she was dismissed 10 days after publishing an opinion column in the Stars and Stripes that criticized defendants in the lawsuit for their official actions, according to Smith’s complaint.

“Until this year, Stripes had a proud, long history of serving those who serve through unbiased, objective journalism,” the complaint said.

“Importantly, Stripes provides these services to personnel stationed overseas who may have a harder time accessing unbiased news reporting.”

On Aug. 14, when U.S. President Donald Trump was asked by reporters about the reports of poor conditions on board USS Abraham Lincoln, which had at the time been stationed at sea for more than 240 days, he denied relatives had raised concerns with him about the length of the ship’s deployment.

“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said.

Later, it was confirmed that the USS George Washington was being deployed to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln, which had been deployed since November 2025.

Trump told reporters on Aug. 17 that he had spoken to a retired admiral who said he had been on ships for much longer deployments, and that the retired admiral assured him that the USS Abraham Lincoln was “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of War for comment, but it declined to comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.