Hegseth fires Pentagon's top military planner over what official says were leaks to media

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, several sources confirmed to CBS News late Wednesday.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was accused of misconduct for allegedly leaking classified information related to the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Sylvia failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified information with the press, the official said, adding that the case has been referred to the Department of Justice.  

Two other Pentagon sources confirmed to CBS News that the firing was related to the polygraph tests, but said those accusations are not true. 

Hegseth has made rooting out leakers at the Pentagon a priority, with sources telling CBS News last month that high-ranking military officials were subject to polygraph tests. Three staffers from his office were escorted out last year amid a leak investigation, but the Pentagon never released the results of any investigation. 

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell did not name Sylvia by name in a statement on social media, but said that "following an extensive Air Force OSI investigation, the Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information."

"To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action," Parnell continued. "This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action. Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political or professional gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it. Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it."

Sylvia's firing comes as President Trump weighs resuming strikes against Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, and was coordinating the Iran battle plan. Sylvia is the second general during Hegseth's tenure to be removed from what is known as a "J5" post, which is the lead on how the Iran war affects long-term planning. Sylvia's predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025.

No replacement for Sylvia has been named. 

The firing was reported earlier by The Atlantic.

After initially issuing a statement extending "the deepest gratitude" for Slyvia's 32 years of service, a spokesperson for the Joint Staff retracted the statement and issued a new one.  

"Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances," the spokesperson said. "Out of respect for the servicemember and the ongoing personnel process we will not comment further."

Sylvia is a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, earned a Bronze Star for Valor. He was a Purple Heart recipient after being wounded in battle in that gunfight with the Taliban, and he had a storied combat career that spanned 32 years.