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

October 29, 2026 / 5:09 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a Pentagon official told CBS News late Wednesday.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia is the latest in a series of generals to be ousted. The firing comes even as President Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war.

Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the second general to be removed from the post, known in military circles as the "J5," under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.

The Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said Sylvia was accused of misconduct for 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.

No replacement for Sylvia has been named, according to The Associated Press.

The firing was reported earlier by The Atlantic.

A spokesperson for the Joint Staff said, "The Chairman…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/