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 “J5.”
The source said that Hegseth had terminated Sylvia for what was termed “severe misconduct” and for meeting with journalists outside the Pentagon and leaking classified information pertaining to ongoing conflicts in Iran and between Russia and Ukraine.
NEW: War Department official tells @realDailyWire that Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was fired by Secretary Hegseth for “severe misconduct.” That includes meeting with journalists outside the Pentagon to “leak classified information.”
“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. ”
“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.”
“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.”
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 29, 2026
“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,” the official said. “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,” the statement continued. “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.”
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’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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