War Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a top Pentagon planner — the second general to be removed from that particular post in just over a year — over leaked sensitive information.
A War Department official confirmed to Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Thursday that Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia had been removed from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, referred to as the &#8220;J5.&#8221;
The source said that Hegseth had terminated Sylvia for what was termed &#8220;severe misconduct&#8221; and for meeting with journalists outside the Pentagon and leaking classified information pertaining to ongoing conflicts in Iran and between Russia and Ukraine.
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NEW: War Department official tells @realDailyWire that Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was fired by Secretary Hegseth for &#8220;severe misconduct.&#8221; That includes meeting with journalists outside the Pentagon to &#8220;leak classified information.&#8221;
&#8220;Although Sylvia’s title was director of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known inside the military as the J5, he was NOT a central planner for the Iran War. That is the responsibility of CENTCOM and its commander Admiral Cooper. &#8221;
&#8220;Sylvia is the subject of an investigation for leaking classified information about the Iran War, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and more. Due to the Pentagon’s media policy requiring journalists to have escorts in the building, Sylvia began meeting with journalists outside of the Pentagon in order to leak classified information.&#8221;
&#8220;Sylvia failed three polygraphs which questioned him about leaking classified information. The investigation into him remains ongoing and has been referred to the Department of Justice for further action. The extent of his leaking became so critical that Secretary Hegseth took immediate action and fired Sylvia in order to protect national security. Urgent action was needed and could not wait another second.&#8221;
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2115783802702160236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Although Sylvia’s title was director of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known inside the military as the J5, he was NOT a central planner for the Iran War. That is the responsibility of CENTCOM and its commander Admiral Cooper,&#8221; the official said. &#8220;Sylvia is the subject of an investigation for leaking classified information about the Iran War, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and more.&#8221;
&#8220;Due to the Pentagon’s media policy requiring journalists to have escorts in the building, Sylvia began meeting with journalists outside of the Pentagon in order to leak classified information,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Sylvia failed three polygraphs which questioned him about leaking classified information. The investigation into him remains ongoing and has been referred to the Department of Justice for further action. The extent of his leaking became so critical that Secretary Hegseth took immediate action and fired Sylvia in order to protect national security. Urgent action was needed and could not wait another second.&#8221;
The primary role of the J5 is to advise and assist the Joint Chiefs Chairman in evaluating long-term military strategy — to include laying out possible outcomes, weighing the costs and benefits of potential actions, and planning for multiple contingencies.
Sylvia&#8217;s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was pushed into an early retirement in October of 2025. He had previously been tapped for promotion to director of the Joint Staff by former President Joe Biden but his promotion stalled when President Donald Trump did not renominate him after returning to the White House in 2025.

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Hegseth Fires Top Pentagon Planner After Leaks, Failed Polygraphs

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An intelligence official confirmed reports that Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday from his post as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, had been left out of the planning and subsequent briefings on the military action in Iran.
The official told The Daily Wire later on Tuesday that Kent — who asserted in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-intel-official-joe-kent-quits-over-iran-strikes-claims-israel-controls-trump">resignation letter</a> that there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; directed at the United States by the Iranian regime — had not been privy to the planning and briefings in which such a threat might have been discussed. The official also refuted several reports suggesting that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had been advised by the White House to fire Kent and had failed to do so.
&#8220;NEW: Intelligence official tells @realDailyWire that it’s true that Joe Kent wasn’t part of the planning of the Iran war or briefings on the war,&#8221; Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2033953793629401411">reported</a>. &#8220;It is not true that DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard was asked by the White House to fire Kent, source says— if she had been asked to do so, she would have fired him.&#8221;
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also suggested during a Tuesday press conference that Kent could not possibly have attended the briefings on Iran.
&#8220;I&#8217;m on the Gang of 8. I got all the briefings. We all understood that there was clearly an imminent threat, that Iran was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability, and they were building missiles at a pace that no one in the region could keep up with,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;Iran was building up ballistic missiles at such a rapid pace, and we knew that their plan was to fire them upon Americans.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn&#8217;t in those briefings clearly,&#8221; Johnson added. &#8220;They had exquisite intelligence that we understood this was a serious moment for us. Had the president waited, I am personally convinced, that we would have mass casualties of Americans, service members and others, and our installations would have been dramatically damaged.&#8221;
Trump also <a href="https://x.com/JennieSTaer/status/2033952762602373353">responded</a> to Kent&#8217;s resignation on Tuesday, saying, &#8220;I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.&#8221;

Kristi Noem And Joseph Kent Testify To House Committee On Threats To The Homeland

Joe Kent Wasn’t Involved In Iran War Planning, Intel Official Says

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PANAMA CITY, PANAMA — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took a hardline stance against China during his Tuesday visit to Panama, where he met with Minister of Public Security Frank Abrego and Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino before giving remarks at the Panama Canal.
Hegseth was greeted by Abrego upon his arrival at Palacio de Las Garzas, and proceeded inside for a meeting with Mulino that lasted more than an hour longer than what had been planned.
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PANAMA CITY — Secretary Hegseth arrives at the Palacio de Las Garzas and is greeted by Minister of Public Security Frank Abrego <a href="https://t.co/tPxQf01nA7">pic.twitter.com/tPxQf01nA7</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1909606107812667641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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PANAMÁ CITY — Bilateral meeting has concluded, Secretary Hegseth emerges, shakes hands with Frank Abrego. The meeting went 1.5 hours over. 
We’re now heading in the motorcade to the Panama Canal! <a href="https://t.co/ZwUxVvegwP">pic.twitter.com/ZwUxVvegwP</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1909644896648282450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth arrived in Panama following several exchanges between President Donald Trump and President Mulino over control of the canal amid concerns about Chinese influence over operations.
&#8220;It was an honor to speak with you today, President @JoseRaulMulino. You and your country’s hard work is making a difference. Increased security cooperation will make both our nations safer, stronger, and more prosperous,&#8221; the Defense Secretary touted a successful meeting before his appearance at the canal.
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It was an honor to speak with you today, President <a href="https://twitter.com/JoseRaulMulino?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoseRaulMulino</a>. You and your country’s hard work is making a difference. Increased security cooperation will make both our nations safer, stronger, and more prosperous. <a href="https://t.co/TLxbrMlFzW">pic.twitter.com/TLxbrMlFzW</a>
&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1909643007890010162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth followed that meeting with a ribbon cutting for a new United States-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base, where he outlined the risks posed by China and promised the United States would work with Panama to mitigate those risks.
WATCH:
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🚨NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> at the Panama Canal: “China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. And China will not weaponize this canal….Together [ the U.S. and Panama] will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence.” <a href="https://t.co/1SZBh6T4GU">pic.twitter.com/1SZBh6T4GU</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1909655554307637613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area. That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable,&#8221; Hegseth explained, saying that in order to counter the threat, &#8220;the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades.&#8221;
&#8220;China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. And China will not weaponize this canal. … Together with Panama in the lead, we will keep the canal secure and available for all nations through the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective, and most lethal fighting force in the world. We will do this in partnership with Panama — together we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,&#8221; Hegseth declared.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Panama

Hegseth Takes Hardline Stance In Panama: ‘China Will Not Weaponize This Canal’

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Virginia Kruta and Mary Margaret Olohan

Hegseth Fires Top Pentagon Planner After Leaks, Failed Polygraphs

Joe Kent Wasn’t Involved In Iran War Planning, Intel Official Says

Hegseth Takes Hardline Stance In Panama: ‘China Will Not Weaponize This Canal’