Three recently dismissed Stars and Stripes staff members have sued the Pentagon, alleging that their firings were retaliatory and breached their First Amendment and statutory rights. They argue the action threatens the newspaper’s independence and its ability to inform US service members and their families, while the Pentagon has declined to comment on the case.

Former editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer and reporter Lara Korte say the dispute followed their unauthorised participation in a CBS News segment and, more immediately, a report about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The lawsuit says Pentagon leaders demanded Lederer dismiss Slavin and Korte a day after that report appeared; it names Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and senior communications officials as defendants. The case comes amid a 2026 Pentagon overhaul intended to refocus the publication on military matters, after its ombudsman was also dismissed in April.