Why Was Brett Sylvia Fired? Pentagon Cites Classified Leaks

The Pentagon has accused Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff earlier this week, of leaking classified information to journalists about the Iran War, the war in Ukraine and other subjects. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on October 29 that “following an extensive Air Force OSI investigation, the Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information,” and that the case had been referred to the Justice Department for “potential further legal action.” A Pentagon official added that Sylvia had failed three polygraph examinations on the leaks, although no detail of what was disclosed, to whom or when has been released. The accusation turns what was first presented as an unexplained dismissal of the officer overseeing the Joint Staff’s planning directorate into a criminal referral against one of the most senior officers on the Joint Staff.

When the firing was first confirmed on October 28 no reason was given, and a Joint Staff spokesperson extended “our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family” for “32 years of distinguished service.” The Joint Staff withdrew that statement on October 29, stating: “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.” A Pentagon official said Sylvia, who had held the J5 post for around 11 months, met reporters outside the building because Hegseth’s rules require journalists to be escorted inside it, and described the leaking as so critical that action “could not wait another second.” Parnell stated that the department has “zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information,” while President Donald Trump told reporters: “We’re very much looking for leakers.” Sylvia has not responded publicly to the accusations, and his official Army biography has been taken offline.

The case is far from the first leak purge under Hegseth, who in April 2025 placed three senior aides, Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, on leave and then fired them during an investigation that also involved polygraph tests. In a joint statement the three said unnamed Pentagon officials had “slandered our character with baseless attacks,” with Hegseth never having set out the evidence against them. The referral of a serving three-star officer to civilian prosecutors rather than to the military justice system has not been explained, and the case comes as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections while Washington and Tehran trade conditions for talks.

A Pentagon official stressed that Sylvia was not a central planner for the Iran War, a role the official assigned to U.S. Central Command under Admiral Brad Cooper, although the J5 post typically generates and coordinates military plans for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president. Sylvia commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025 and earlier served as the directorate’s vice director, with six Bronze Star Medals, one for valour, and a Purple Heart among his awards. He is the second J5 director to leave the post in roughly a year, his predecessor Lieutenant General Joseph McGee having retired in October 2025, and no successor has yet been named.