Hegseth Fires Pentagon’s Top Planner Over Alleged Leaks, Refers Case to DOJ

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Joint Staff’s director for strategy, plans and policy, and the Pentagon has referred the matter to the Justice Department over allegations that he leaked classified information to the press, CBS News and ABC News reported.

Sylvia held the post, known as the J-5, for about 11 months, ABC reported, and CBS reported he had been coordinating the Iran battle plan. CBS said Hegseth fired him and that the firing was confirmed late Wednesday. ABC reported that a source first described the move as a loss of confidence, and that a senior Pentagon official then said Hegseth fired him after an inquiry found he allegedly leaked classified information, citing “severe misconduct.”

A Pentagon official told CBS that Sylvia was accused of leaking classified information about the Iran war and about the war in Ukraine. ABC reported that the alleged leaks went to the press on Iran, Ukraine and other matters. The official told CBS that Sylvia “failed three polygraph tests,” but two other Pentagon sources told the network the firing was tied to the polygraph results but that those accusations are not true. Neither report included a comment from Sylvia or a lawyer for him.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “Classified information is not personal property,” according to CBS, and ABC quoted him as saying the department has “zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information.” The Joint Staff first issued a statement expressing its “deepest gratitude” for Sylvia’s service, then withdrew it. CBS quoted the new statement as saying, “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” and ABC reported it said, “We are withdrawing our earlier statement.” Parnell said the department acted after an Air Force Office of Special Investigations probe, according to CBS.

Hegseth has made finding leakers a priority. CBS reported that three staffers were escorted out of the building last year in a leak investigation whose results were never released. Sylvia’s predecessor in the job, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025, according to CBS, and ABC noted that Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims also retired early last year.

The firing comes at a sensitive time. CBS reported that President Trump is weighing whether to resume strikes on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which is the kind of planning a leak could expose. Supporters of the crackdown say a senior officer who shares war plans with reporters must be held to account whatever his rank.

Critics of the firing, and the officials who disputed the polygraph claim, point to a different concern: the public account so far comes from the department that fired him, the accusations have not been tested in any proceeding, and the retracted tribute and shifting explanations leave open questions about the process. The Justice Department did not respond to ABC’s request for comment.