The Pentagon has accused a newly ousted three-star general of leaking sensitive information to the media just hours after officials confirmed his removal from a top military planning post.
Typically, the general in the position and their staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans for both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president. No reason was given for the firing, the latest in a series of ousters or departures of military leaders under Hegseth. The statement claims that Sylvia failed three polygraph tests about leaking classified information.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia as head of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a defense official said late Wednesday. However, a Pentagon official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, later said in a statement that Sylvia was under investigation over allegations of sharing classified information about the Iran war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other topics with journalists. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post that the department “took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information” without mentioning Sylvia by name. He said the matter has been sent to the Justice Department for “potential further legal action. When asked about Sylvia’s firing by reporters Thursday, President Donald Trump said, “She’s gonna have big problems,” incorrectly identifying the male general as a woman. “We’re very much looking for leakers,” Trump said. In a confusing twist, the Joint Staff on Thursday also withdrew a statement from a day earlier that wished Sylvia well because “upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.”
