WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia from a senior military planning role following allegations that he leaked classified information to journalists.
Sylvia headed strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a senior Pentagon body responsible for military planning. CBS News reported that a Pentagon official accused the general of sharing classified information about the Iran and Ukraine wars.
The official claimed Sylvia failed three polygraph tests related to contact with journalists. However, the Pentagon has not publicly released its investigation findings.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Thursday that the department had taken action to protect sensitive information.
Writing on X, Parnell said the Defence Department had “zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorised disclosure of classified information”. He did not identify Sylvia by name or explain the specific grounds for his removal.
Parnell added that officials had referred the matter, along with other cases, to the US Department of Justice for possible legal action.
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Earlier, a Joint Staff spokesperson confirmed Sylvia’s departure and thanked him for his service. The spokesperson later withdrew that statement, saying it did not properly reflect the circumstances.
Sylvia previously commanded the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division and served in Iraq. His departure follows several changes to senior military leadership since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
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Trump dismissed General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025 without publicly explaining the decision.
Hegseth has defended reductions in senior military posts as part of his effort to improve accountability. Democratic lawmakers, however, have questioned whether the dismissals risk drawing the armed forces into political disputes.
