Pentagon names Christian Devine acting publisher of Stars and Stripes after Max Lederer’s firing

The Pentagon has installed Christian Devine, its executive director and principal adviser in the public affairs office, as acting publisher of Stars and Stripes. Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell appointed Devine, who will retain his Pentagon public affairs role and split time between the department and the military newspaper while a permanent publisher is sought.

Officials described the appointment as an interim step intended to carry the paper through a leadership transition.

Devine, a Pentagon public affairs executive and a former Marine Corps officer noted in reporting from outlets covering the move, said he has “a lot to learn” about the publisher role and expressed a commitment to preserving Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence while modernizing its platform. Navy Capt.

Bill Urban, the military deputy to the publisher, confirmed Devine will divide his time between the Pentagon and the paper. The change in leadership follows the firing of Max D.

Lederer Jr., the newspaper’s longtime publisher, in August; Stars and Stripes reporting says Lederer’s dismissal followed his refusal to fire the paper’s editor in chief and a Middle East reporter for appearing on a CBS segment about Pentagon efforts to influence the paper.

The Pentagon has since issued guidance directing that the paper’s content be “consistent with good order and discipline,” and the department removed the paper’s ombudsman, who had been responsible for protecting editorial integrity.

Pentagon statements and the outlets covering the appointment frame the move as part of a broader effort announced by Parnell earlier in the year to “modernize” Stars and Stripes and refocus its content priorities.

Reporting notes the department funds a substantial portion of the paper’s budget and that federal regulations and longstanding department policy historically emphasise the paper’s editorial independence; that institutional tension underpins the current personnel changes. Coverage of the appointment differs in emphasis.

Some outlets stress Devine’s Pentagon role and his interim dual responsibilities; others highlight his background, including service as a Marine Corps officer and leadership in public affairs, as a credential the department cited in announcing the placement.

The sources agree that Devine will serve only until a permanent publisher is named and that Pentagon officials framed the personnel moves as part of planned modernization and refocusing.

What is documented is limited to internal Pentagon appointments and public statements about modernization and editorial priorities; the reporting does not provide independent confirmation that the new guidance has altered day-to-day editorial decisions at Stars and Stripes, nor does it supply a timeline or names of candidates being considered for the permanent publisher role.

The immediate effect is administrative: a Pentagon public affairs official will perform publisher duties on an interim basis while continuing his Pentagon duties. The appointment raises questions about how the department will balance its ownership and funding role with the paper’s historic protections for editorial independence.