Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia on Thursday, October 29, 2026, following accusations that the senior military planner leaked classified information to the public. Sylvia served as the head of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Staff, a position responsible for advising the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine. Pentagon officials stated the dismissal followed an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
The firing occurs during the ninth month of the U.S. war in Iran, a period marked by tension regarding unauthorized disclosures of military planning and expenditures. Hegseth has implemented a Pentagon task force to identify sources of leaks, which includes the use of polygraph examinations for senior officials. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that Sylvia failed three polygraphs concerning the disclosure of sensitive information.
Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the case has been referred to the Justice Department for potential legal action. While a spokesperson for the Joint Staff initially released a statement thanking Sylvia for his 32 years of service, that statement was later withdrawn. The spokesperson explained that the initial message did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances of the general's departure. Sylvia, who previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division, could not be reached for comment.
The situation involves significant federal spending. The military is managing a war in Iran that internal analyses estimate has cost more than $47 billion, including more than $29 billion specifically for restocking munitions. Lieutenant General Sylvia now faces a referral to the Justice Department, which sets a precedent for how the executive branch will handle senior military planners accused of communicating with the press.
What happens next: The Justice Department will review the referral from the Pentagon to determine if formal legal action will be filed against Sylvia. The U.S. military is also continuing to plan for potential intensive bombings in Iran, while the Pentagon task force continues its investigation into other suspected leaks. No specific court dates for the DOJ's decision have been reported at this time. The military's munitions restock, estimated at more than $29 billion, remains a budgetary requirement.