The US Department of Defense has made a personnel decision that is already being called one of the most high-profile during Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the agency. The Pentagon's top military planner, Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, has been dismissed from his post amid allegations of leaking classified information concerning, in particular, the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the conflict surrounding Iran. According to sources, the case has been referred to the Department of Justice for further investigation.
Three polygraph tests and referral to the Department of Justice
According to a Pentagon official, Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia failed three polygraph tests related to the disclosure of classified data to the press. On this basis, his case was referred to the US Department of Justice for investigation. However, other sources within the agency, who confirmed the fact of the lie detector tests, stated that the allegations made against him are untrue. Thus, opinions within the Pentagon regarding the general's guilt are divided.
Official stance: "Personnel measures to protect data"
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not mention Sylvia's name directly in his statement. He only confirmed that following a large-scale investigation related to open access to information, "the Department has taken necessary personnel measures to protect sensitive data." This phrasing neither refutes nor confirms specific allegations of a leak, but records the very fact that a personnel decision was made at the highest level of the agency.
Who is Brett Sylvia and why his post matters
Brett Sylvia headed the Strategy, Plans, and Policy Directorate of the Joint Staff, holding the J5 position, and was responsible for long-term military planning. His area of responsibility included coordinating plans related to Iran, among other things. This made his post one of the most crucial in the Pentagon's strategic planning system: long-term scenarios across a range of areas, reportedly including Ukrainian and Iranian ones, passed through him.
The second general in this post under Hegseth
Sylvia's dismissal is the second personnel upheaval in this position since Pete Hegseth took charge of the US Department of Defense. His predecessor, Lieutenant General Joseph McGee, stepped down in October 2025. As of publication, Sylvia's replacement has not yet been named, leaving the post of chief military planner vacant and heightening attention on how the agency will approach long-term planning going forward.
Context: Other high-profile decisions by the defense agency
The decision regarding Sylvia fits into a series of recent high-profile Pentagon moves related to the use of technology in combat zones and the release of classified data. In particular, the agency rejected a Senate request to investigate Starlink and Starshield restrictions in Ukraine, despite a bipartisan appeal from lawmakers. Simultaneously, the Department of Defense released new archival materials on UFOs, disclosing a batch of classified documents and testimonies about anomalous phenomena near Catalina Island in California. Against this backdrop, the general's dismissal on suspicion of a leak looks like another episode of the agency revising its approaches to handling confidential information.
