The US Department of War has fired the publisher, editor-in-chief and a Middle East correspondent of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded publication covering the US military, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The dismissals come amid the United States’ ongoing war with Iran in the Middle East and nearly 10 days after Stars and Stripes journalists reported on hardships faced by Navy sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment had been extended to nine months.

Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte were reportedly served termination notices on Friday.

The dismissals mark the latest escalation in a broader dispute between the Pentagon and Stars and Stripes over the publication’s editorial independence. The newspaper is funded by the US government but has statutory protections intended to preserve its independence from military authorities.

The Department of War declined to comment on the reported firings.

Slavin said his termination notice cited insubordination following a July interview with CBS News in which he discussed alleged efforts to interfere with the publication’s editorial operations.

According to Slavin, the notice cited his statement that turning Stars and Stripes into a public relations outlet would cross a red line.

“According to the 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, according to The New York Times. “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies.”

Korte also participated in the CBS interview. During the program, she discussed her reporting on uncertainty and hardship faced by US military families in the Middle East following the evacuation of American bases after Iranian attacks.

The latest dismissals follow months of increasing pressure on Stars and Stripes and other military-focused news outlets.

In January, the Pentagon reportedly rescinded long-standing regulations designed to guarantee the flow of news to military personnel. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell subsequently called on the publication to move away from what he described as “woke distractions,” according to The New York Times.

By March, a Pentagon memorandum reportedly prohibited the republication of Associated Press wire stories and the use of comics, while requiring content to conform to standards related to “good order and discipline.”

In April, the Pentagon also fired internal editorial ombudsman Jacqueline Smith after she criticized alleged government interference in the publication’s journalism. Her dismissal subsequently contributed to a First Amendment lawsuit against the department.

The latest firings have intensified concerns over the future of Stars and Stripes and its ability to maintain independent reporting while remaining financially supported by the US government.

The developments come at a particularly sensitive time, as American military personnel and their families remain directly affected by the escalating conflict with Iran and the broader US military operations in the Middle East. (ILKHA)