Stars and Stripes publisher announces retirement

Max D. Lederer Jr., the longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes, announced his retirement Tuesday, ending a three-decade career at the news organization amid Pentagon efforts to expand oversight over its operations and content.

He was the second full-time civilian to hold the position of publisher, taking the helm in 2007. The job is responsible for the worldwide business and editorial operations of Stars and Stripes, which includes a newspaper as well as hundreds of other yearly publications.

Lederer said he decided to step down because it had become clear that his philosophy of leadership and “understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes” differed in “fundamental ways” from plans the Defense Department has for the organization.

“I have thought a great deal about the right time to step aside, and I have concluded that this is it,” he said in a note to staff. “I leave with real pride in what we have accomplished together and with complete confidence in what you will accomplish next.”

In an interview, he said he did not feel the modernization efforts the Pentagon announced in March were the right ones. He expressed particular opposition to transitioning all print products to a digital format, fearing it will limit accessibility for troops.

“I don’t feel that there’s a full recognition of the value of multiple platforms versus only a digital platform,” Lederer, an Army veteran, said. “There is value to being able to have a monthly magazine or an annual magazine for people who are in a transitional environment.”

He said he believed the organization needed to advance into other technological fields, including artificial intelligence, but felt out of sync with “the pace and the direction” being set by the Pentagon.

“I think the right step is for me to step down, get out of the way, and let different leadership step in and continue to make this, the great organization that it is, even better,” he said.

His retirement comes after the Defense Department in April fired the publication’s ombudsman, a role charged by Congress with safeguarding the newspaper’s editorial independence.

The Pentagon’s overhaul effort for Stars and Stripes calls for a transition away from print and states that content must be consistent with “good order and discipline,” a phrase borrowed from the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The plan has limited the publication’s use of news wire services and barred comics and other syndicated features. Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in January that the Pentagon intended to “refocus” the organization from “woke distractions that syphon morale.”

Erik Slavin, the editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, described Lederer in a statement Tuesday as an “inspirational leader” whose expertise will be missed.

“For decades, Max Lederer championed the interests of service members and their families by supporting their access to credible reporting, independent of the military chain of command,” he said.

Lederer came to Stars and Stripes in 1992 after active-duty service in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He tried more than 60 courts-martial and administrative hearings in Oklahoma and more than 40 in South Korea, including three homicide cases.

During the Gulf War, he deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to advise on the law of armed conflict, combat contracting and the treatment of prisoners of war and displaced persons. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.

He began his career at Stars and Stripes in Europe, first as general counsel and then as general manager. He oversaw the opening of print sites in Italy and the United Kingdom as well as the newspaper’s consolidation with its Pacific counterpart.

In 2000, Lederer assumed leadership of the newly created Stars and Stripes central office in Washington, D.C. As chief operating officer, he oversaw the opening of nine print sites throughout the Middle East and the daily delivery of more than 70,000 copies of the newspaper to troops in combat zones.

Lederer’s retirement is effective Sept. 30, but he said he does not know whether the Pentagon will keep him on as publisher until then or appoint an acting publisher in the interim.

Slavin said he was committed to working with leadership to continue the mission of the news organization, which reaches more than 1.4 million readers through print, a website and mobile app.

“Stars and Stripes plays an important role in ensuring that the people serving our country have access to reporting protected by the First Amendment,” he said. “I am committed to working with our leadership to continue that mission.”

Lederer said he always saw Stars and Stripes as the military community’s news organization. He said he was grateful for the years of outreach from all levels of the military — from commanders to junior troops to military spouses and civilian employees.

“What we produce and what we do is based on their desires, their needs and interests,” he said. “We have only been successful because of that interaction with the community.”