Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired one of the Pentagon’s top military strategists, Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia. A Pentagon official said the three-star general failed three polygraph tests about alleged leaks of classified information to the press.
Sylvia served as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a post known as J5. He was removed this week, according to two U.S. officials and a Pentagon official who spoke to The Hill on condition of anonymity. The Atlantic first reported the firing.
The Pentagon official said Sylvia, a former commander of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, was removed for “severe misconduct.” He had been the subject of an internal investigation into alleged leaks of classified information about the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.
According to the official, after the Pentagon began requiring escorts for journalists inside the building, Sylvia started meeting with reporters outside the Pentagon to pass along classified information. The probe is ongoing and has been referred to the Department of Justice. The official said the leaking had become “so critical” that Hegseth acted to protect national security.
Not everyone agrees. Two other Pentagon sources told CBS News the firing was tied to the polygraph tests, but they said the accusations are not true. Sylvia is a recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
The Joint Staff first issued a statement expressing “deepest gratitude” for Sylvia’s service, then retracted it, saying it did not reflect the full circumstances. A spokesperson later said the Joint Staff would not comment further “out of respect for the service member and the ongoing personnel process.” Hegseth’s office referred questions to the Joint Staff.
The shake-up comes at a critical moment. U.S. Central Command has drawn up plans for attacks on Iran that could take place after the Nov. 3 midterm elections if the White House authorizes them. CBS News reported that Sylvia had been coordinating the Iran battle plan. By Wednesday evening, his biography had been removed from the Joint Chiefs of Staff website.
No replacement has been named. Normally a deputy or vice director fills the post until the president nominates a successor and the Senate confirms one.
Sylvia is the second general under Hegseth to leave the J5 post. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, retired last year after friction with Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hegseth has fired or pushed out more than two dozen senior military officers since taking over the Pentagon. Those moves have drawn pushback from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, he defended a plan to cut up to 20% of the military’s admirals and generals, calling the ranks “rank-heavy” and out of touch with troops.
At the Association of the United States Army on Oct. 1, Hegseth said history shows an inverse relationship between battlefield success and the number of senior generals since World War II.
Hegseth has made cracking down on leakers a top priority. “If we think you are leaking to the press, that’s a very real problem,” he told Fox News in April.
Last year, former Hegseth senior adviser Dan Caldwell, former deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, former chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, were placed on leave and then fired after being accused of leaking. Caldwell was later hired by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. An administration official said he had been investigated and cleared.
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