Pentagon appoints its own public affairs executive as acting Stars and Stripes publisher

The Pentagon has found a new publisher for Stars and Stripes, at least on an interim basis, appointing Christian Devine, executive director of the Pentagon's public affairs office, to lead the military newspaper.

Stars and Stripes, which has published a newspaper continuously since World War II, describes itself as a source of "independent news and information to the U.S. military community, including active-duty servicemembers, DoD civilians, veterans, contractors, and their families" that is "governed by the principles of the First Amendment."

"The Pentagon is proud to appoint Chris Devine to serve as acting publisher of Stars and Stripes," chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital.

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"As a former Marine Corps colonel and a seasoned public affairs leader, Chris brings unmatched expertise, strategic vision, and a commitment to ensuring Stars and Stripes maintains editorial independence while delivering exclusive, mission-focused reporting that directly serves America’s warfighters and their families," Parnell continued. "In this interim role, he will provide decisive leadership to modernize Stars and Stripes and to strengthen its mission."

Devine will continue his role as executive director and principal advisor in the Pentagon’s public affairs office until a permanent Stars and Stripes publisher is found. He is expected to split time between the two gigs.

"It’s a dynamic media organization with a prestigious history and purpose, and I hope I can lend a strong arm during the interim to the men and women who continue to contribute to its notable legacy," Devine said in a statement.

The Pentagon, which funds roughly half of Stars and Stripes' annual budget, according to the newspaper's website, began 2026 by announcing plans to overhaul the long-running military publication.

"The Department of War is returning Stars & Stripes to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters. We are bringing Stars & Stripes into the 21st century. We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members," Parnell posted on X in January.

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"Stars & Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters. It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints," Parnell continued. "Stars & Stripes has a proud legacy of reporting news that’s important to our service members. The Department of War is committed to ensuring the outlet continues to reflect that proud legacy."

As part of the shake-up, Stars and Stripes' longtime publisher Max Lederer, its editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte were fired in August.

At the time, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that the firings were a result of Slavin and Korte's unauthorized participation in a "CBS Sunday Morning" segment about the Pentagon's efforts to overhaul the paper and Lederer's refusal to fire them at the direction of Pentagon leadership.

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They have since filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon over their terminations, alleging they are facing "imminent retaliation and termination in violation of their First Amendment and statutory rights."

In September, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden denied a temporary restraining order filed by Stars and Stripes to reverse their firings, claiming they "ultimately fail to carry their significant burden to show that they are clearly entitled to a preliminary injunction."

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.