The Pentagon has dismissed Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination, days after the military newspaper reported concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. The three were given separation notices on Friday, with Lederer and Slavin receiving five days to appeal, according to CBS News and Associated Press reports. 

The dismissals have intensified a dispute between Pentagon leadership and Stars and Stripes over the newspaper's editorial independence. Slavin said he was dismissed after participating in a CBS interview in which he defended the publication's independence and objected to any potential military interference in its reporting. Korte, who also took part in the interview, said she was fired for insubordination after stating that she worked for Stars and Stripes rather than the Pentagon, the administration or any policymaker. The Pentagon has cited insubordination as the reason for the dismissals, while the employees have linked the action to their defence of independent journalism. 

The action follows a period of growing tension over the future of Stars and Stripes. Lederer, who had served as publisher for 19 years, had announced earlier this week that he planned to retire on September 30, saying his understanding of the newspaper's mission differed fundamentally from the direction of the Department of Defense. The Pentagon has been pushing to modernise the publication and refocus its coverage, with chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell previously describing the effort as bringing Stars and Stripes into the 21st century and moving its content away from what officials characterised as "woke distractions." About half of the newspaper's roughly $29 million annual budget is funded by taxpayers, while its average daily readership is estimated at about 1.4 million. 

The dispute gained further attention after Stars and Stripes and other military publications reported on concerns surrounding the USS Abraham Lincoln, including complaints from family members about sailors' mental health and difficult living conditions during the carrier's extended deployment. The carrier, carrying about 5,000 sailors and Marines, has spent more than 200 consecutive days at sea and began its journey back to San Diego this week after a nine-month deployment. Reports have included concerns over shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing problems, deck safety and mental-health pressures. U.S. military officials have pushed back against some of the reporting, while Adm. Brad Cooper publicly praised the crew's resilience. 

The latest dismissals have prompted concerns from press-freedom advocates and lawmakers about the newspaper's ability to maintain editorial independence while receiving substantial Pentagon funding. National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called the firing of Slavin troubling, while Democratic senators have separately questioned the Pentagon's placement of an active-duty Navy captain in a senior leadership role at Stars and Stripes. Navy Capt. William Urban, who was recently installed in a leadership position, has said he is committed to editorially independent journalism serving service members, their families and the wider military community.