Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, a Pentagon official told CBS News late Wednesday. The move comes as President Donald Trump weighs resuming strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war.
The Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said Sylvia was accused of misconduct for allegedly leaking classified information related to the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war. The official said Sylvia failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified information with the press and that the case has been referred to the Department of Justice.
Accusations Disputed
Two other Pentagon sources confirmed to CBS News that the firing was related to the polygraph tests but said the accusations are not true. The Pentagon has not publicly released evidence supporting the allegations, and Sylvia has not been reported to have commented publicly.
Accounts of the reason for his removal differ. The Associated Press reported that a defense official said no reason had been given for the firing. A separate report said a source described the removal as stemming from a lack of confidence and that it was unclear whether Hegseth or Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine ordered it.
A Statement Issued, Then Retracted
A spokesperson for the Joint Staff initially extended “the deepest gratitude” to Sylvia and his family for his 32 years of service. The spokesperson later retracted that statement and issued a new one.
“Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” the spokesperson said. “Out of respect for the servicemember and the ongoing personnel process we will not comment further.”
Role at the Center of the Iran Planning
Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a post known in military circles as the “J5.” He had been coordinating the Iran battle plan, and no replacement has been named. The Pentagon has described the J5 directorate as responsible for putting forward plans, policy recommendations and strategies to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Sylvia is the second general to be removed from the J5 post during Hegseth’s tenure. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025. The firing was reported earlier by The Atlantic, where a former Joint Chiefs official said, “Now is not the time when you’d want to lose the J5.”
A Career Spanning 32 Years
Sylvia is a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He earned a Bronze Star for Valor and received a Purple Heart after being wounded in a gunfight with the Taliban.
Hegseth’s Leak Crackdown
Hegseth has made rooting out leakers at the Pentagon a priority. Sources told CBS News last month that high-ranking military officials were subject to polygraph tests. Three staffers from his office were escorted out last year amid a leak investigation, but the Pentagon never released the results of any investigation.
The September polygraph effort followed news reports about diminished stocks of critical munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors. Mass polygraph testing of the military’s top ranks had never before been administered at that scale, and current and former officials described an atmosphere of deep distrust inside the department.
Sylvia is the latest in nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders to be fired, forced to retire or otherwise depart under Hegseth. Almost none of those departures have been publicly explained by the Pentagon.
Timing Amid the Iran War
Sylvia’s firing comes as Trump weighs resuming strikes against Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. In an interview published Oct. 1, Trump said renewed large-scale bombing after the midterms was possible and that he had rejected an Iranian ceasefire offer.
Trump has also said publicly that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the election. In a Truth Social post, he vowed, “we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections.
What Remains Unresolved
The Pentagon has not named a successor, and the Justice Department referral has not been publicly confirmed beyond the official’s account to CBS News. Whether the polygraph accusations can be substantiated, and who made the decision to remove Sylvia, remain open questions.