Longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes to retire, citing differences with Pentagon leadership

The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes has announced his retirement, ending a decades-long career with the military newspaper as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are "woke distractions."Max D. Lederer Jr. announced his retirement, effective at

The publisher’s departure comes seven months after the Pentagon announced on social media that it intended to overhaul the newspaper to align with department messaging

Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes for nearly 20 years, is retiring over issues related to how the Pentagon is directing coverage of the outlet under the Trump administration. Lederer, who announced the decision Tuesday, has been with Stars and Stripes in some capacity since 1992 and took over as publisher