Hegseth fires Pentagon's top planner Lt Gen Brett Sylvia over alleged Iran war leaks

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon's top military planner, over alleged leaks of classified information about the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war. A Pentagon official told CBS News late on Wednesday that Sylvia allegedly failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified material with the press and that the case has been referred to the Department of Justice. The Atlantic first reported the firing.

Who Brett Sylvia is

Sylvia was director of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the post known as the J5, and had earlier been its vice director. The J5 draws up and coordinates military plans with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president. An Army officer with 32 years of service, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell until May 2025. A Joint Staff spokesperson thanked him for his service; his official biography has been taken offline. No replacement has been named.

He is the second J5 removed under Hegseth: Lt Gen Joseph McGee was forced to retire in October 2025.

Why the timing matters

The firing comes as Washington weighs new action against Iran, eight months into a war the US began alongside Israel:

• President Donald Trump has vowed to "finish the job" and has said renewed strikes could come after the US midterm elections on 3 November.
• US officials have reportedly told Middle East allies to prepare for possible renewed military action and Iranian retaliation.
• A third US aircraft carrier and thousands more troops are heading to the region, CBS reported.

Iran, for its part, said on Thursday it was discussing a seven-day plan with mediators to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz (our report).

A wider purge of the top brass

Sylvia is one of nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other senior officers fired, forced to retire or otherwise removed under Hegseth, often without explanation. Hegseth has also ordered the cut in top officer posts doubled to 20% of roughly 800 general and flag positions by 1 January 2027. "I call it accountability and long overdue," he said at Quantico on 30 September. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly has called the cuts a purge.

What it means in Pakistan

Pakistan borders Iran and has felt the war at the pump: Gulf supply disruption feeds straight into fuel prices here. A new round of US strikes would put more pressure on oil, on the millions of Pakistanis working in the Gulf, and on flights through Gulf airspace. Follow the petrol price and the dollar rate, both updated through the day.