The Pentagon on Friday fired the publisher, the editor-in-chief, and a Middle East correspondent from Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper that receives funding from the Defense Department but maintains editorial independence.

The firings have raised concerns about infringements on the publication’s First Amendment rights. In recent weeks, Stars and Stripes has reported on the mental health struggles of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, whose deployment was extended by months to support war efforts against Iran.

A statement by Erik Slavin, the dismissed editor-in-chief, shed light on his termination notice. “I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line,” Slavin said. “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies.”

This January, the Defense Department rescinded a regulation that had prevented censorship of Stars and Stripes, with a Pentagon spokesman saying the publication should “refocus its content away from woke distractions.” And in March, the Pentagon released a memo saying its coverage “must be consistent with good order and discipline of the military.”

In 2025, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth imposed new rules on Pentagon correspondents requiring his approval for reporting information. After journalists turned in their access badges rather than consenting to the new rules, the Pentagon invited The American Conservative to be further integrated into its press operations. TAC declined.