U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, wrote on X that “Pete Hegseth should be the next person fired from the DOD,” reacting to reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Joint Staff’s top strategy and planning officer, amid a leak investigation. Hirono’s post linked to a Washington Post report on the removal.
The Atlantic reported the removal earlier in the week. CBS News reported late Wednesday, Oct. 28, that Hegseth had fired Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, over what a Pentagon official described as leaks to the media. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss 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 he failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified information with the press and that the case had been referred to the Department of Justice.
Two other Pentagon sources confirmed to CBS that the firing was related to the polygraph tests but said the accusations against Sylvia were not true. CBS reported that Sylvia had been coordinating the Iran battle plan in his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff. He was the second general removed from that post during Hegseth’s tenure, after Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee was forced to retire in October 2025. No replacement has been named.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not name Sylvia in his statement on X. “The Department of War has zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information,” he wrote. He said that “following an extensive Air Force OSI investigation, the Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information,” and that “no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action.” He added that the matter, “along with others,” had been referred to the Justice Department. “We vowed to find you, and we meant it,” he wrote.
The Joint Staff first issued a statement extending “the deepest gratitude” for Sylvia’s 32 years of service, then retracted it. “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” a spokesperson said, according to CBS.
Sylvia, a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division, has combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. He received a Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart after being wounded in battle, according to CBS.
The removal comes as President Donald Trump weighs resuming strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Defense Casualty Analysis System listed 15 deaths under Operation Epic Fury and eight in overseas operations since July 7, a combined 23, after updates on Oct. 28 and 29, according to Stars and Stripes. The database is at the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told ABC News on Oct. 22 that “The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.”
Hegseth has made finding leakers a priority. CBS reported that high-ranking military officials were subjected to polygraph tests and that three staffers from his office were escorted out last year amid a separate leak investigation. The Pentagon has not released the results of that investigation.
Hirono’s demand is an opinion. The facts behind the removal remain contested. Parnell’s on-the-record statement confirms an Air Force OSI investigation, a personnel action and a Justice Department referral, without naming Sylvia or detailing the evidence. Whether Sylvia leaked classified material, and whether that was the basis for his removal, has not been resolved in public.