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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired one of the Pentagon’s senior officials after he was accused of leaking classified information to reporters about the U.S. operation against Iran and the war between Russia and Ukraine, a Defense Department official said Thursday.
The Pentagon official told The Washington Times that Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia failed three polygraph tests when he was questioned during the investigation into the leaks.
“Due to the Pentagon’s media policy requiring journalists to have escorts in the building, Sylvia began meeting with journalists outside of the Pentagon in order to leak classified information,” the official said in a statement.
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“The extent of his leaking became so critical that Secretary Hegseth took immediate action and fired Sylvia in order to protect national security,” the official said. “Urgent action was needed and could not wait another second.”
Gen. Sylvia’s position at the Pentagon was director of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known inside the military as the J-5.
But Defense Department officials said he was not a central planner for the Iran war. That is the responsibility of U.S. Central Command and its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper.
The investigation is ongoing, and the case has been referred to the Justice Department for further action, officials said.
Gen. Sylvia could not be reached immediately for comment.
When questioned about the firing, President Trump on Thursday apparently thought Gen. Sylvia was a woman.
“She’s got problems. She’s going to have big problems,” he told a reporter. “We’re very much looking for leakers. She’s going to have big problems, long-term problems.”
The firing comes as the Trump administration considers resuming strikes against Iran following Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Since his return to the White House, Mr. Trump and his defense chief have overseen a sweeping shakeup of senior U.S. military leadership. More than 20 prominent generals, admirals and senior civilian defense leaders have been ousted or forced into early retirement, including Gen. Charles Brown, whom Mr. Trump sacked as chairman of the Joint Chiefs in February 2025, and later Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff.
Early in the administration, Mr. Hegseth implemented policy directives ordering an overall 20% cut across general and flag officer billets in the U.S. military. Gen. Sylvia’s predecessor as the J-5, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Pentagon has “zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”
“Anyone who compromises sensitive national security information puts the lives of our warriors at risk and undermines every military operation that keeps our country safe,” Mr. Parnell said on social media.
Gen. Sylvia graduated from West Point in June 1994 with a degree in environmental engineering. He later was awarded a January 1999 master’s degree in engineering management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and in 2006 a master’s in military arts and sciences from the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
His most recent military command was of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from July 2023 to July 2025. He served as deputy commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, from July 2019 to July 2021.
Mr. Parnell said there would be no further comment on the Sylvia case to “protect the integrity of the investigation.”
“Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political, or personal gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it,” he said. “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.”
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