Hegseth Fires Pentagon’s Top Military Planner Over Alleged Leaks of Classified Information

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, over accusations that he leaked classified information to reporters, officials said Thursday. Sylvia was director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a post known inside the military as the J5.

Sylvia’s dismissal was first reported by The Atlantic on Wednesday. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Sylvia failed three polygraph examinations about leaking classified information. “The extent of his leaking became so critical that Secretary Hegseth took immediate action and fired Sylvia in order to protect national security,” the official said. “Urgent action was needed and could not wait another second.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the decision followed an extensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. “This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action,” Parnell said. “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.”

A post at the center of military planning

The J5 post helps shape long-term military strategy and advises the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine. Sylvia previously commanded the Army’s 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025, and had served as the J5’s vice director before taking the top job.

No successor had been named as of Thursday morning, according to Task & Purpose, leaving the chairman’s staff without a lead planner while the United States weighs renewed strikes on Iran. President Donald Trump has called a possible new round of bombing “another little Epic Fury,” Reuters reported.

A leak hunt that has widened

Sylvia’s firing is one of the highest-profile consequences so far from Hegseth’s hunt for officials suspected of leaking information to the news media, Reuters reported. The effort includes a Pentagon task force to find the source of leaks and the widespread use of polygraph examinations on senior officials. Last year, Hegseth introduced a media policy that raised legal concerns among press organizations and revoked the press credentials of journalists who refused to sign it.

A Pentagon official told Fox News that Sylvia was accused of meeting journalists outside the Pentagon to pass on classified material after the new media rules required reporters to be escorted inside the building. The official said the investigation covers alleged leaks about the Iran war, Russia’s war in Ukraine and other matters. Sylvia could not be reached for comment, Reuters reported.

Trump weighed in Thursday, telling reporters that Sylvia has “got problems.” “We’re very much looking for leakers, and she’s going to have big problems, long-term problems,” Trump said, misidentifying the male general as a woman, according to Reuters.

A Joint Staff spokesperson first issued a statement thanking Sylvia for his 32 years of service, then withdrew it. “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Joint Staff would not comment further out of respect for the service member and the ongoing personnel process.

Reuters also reported Wednesday that an internal military analysis estimates it would cost more than $29 billion in munitions alone to restock weapons used against Iran so far, the bulk of more than $47 billion spent on operations in the war. The Pentagon has complained about leaks during the war, including about its planning and its spending on munitions.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and CNN.