Max Lederer, who has served as the publisher of Stars and Stripes for 19 years, announced his decision to retire on Sept. 30. Lederer cited fundamental differences with the Trump administration as the reason for his departure.
The retirement comes amid a push by the Trump administration for editorial control. Earlier this year, the Defense Department railed against the publication, which has long enjoyed editorial independence, describing it as woke.
The Pentagon has since issued separation notices to both the publisher and the editor-in-chief. According to the editor-in-chief, the publisher received a separation notice despite having already announced his plans to retire.
These exits follow the Pentagon's ouster of ombudsman Jacqueline Smith. There have also been reports that a new deputy was installed without the publisher's knowledge.