Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a Pentagon official told CBS News late Wednesday.
asserted
official → fire → News
It's the latest in a series of generals to be ousted and comes even as President Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in
.Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
asserted
Sylvia → oust → Staff
He is the second general to be ousted from the post, known in military circles as the "J5," under Hegseth.
asserted
He → oust → Hegseth
His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.
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predecessor → force → ?
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
.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.
asserted
case → speak → Justice
No replacement for Sylvia has been named, according to The Associated Press.
uncertain
replacement → name → Press
The firing was reported earlier by The Atlantic.
asserted
firing → report → Atlantic
A spokesperson for the Joint Staff said "the Chairman, the Joint Staff, and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation" and they "wish him and his family the best."
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they → say → best
Typically, the J5 director and staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans with both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president.
asserted
director → generate → Chiefs
Sylvia's firing comes as Mr. Trump has repeatedly floated starting new military operations against Iran.
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Trump → come → Iran
The president has vowed to "finish the job" in Iran after launching the war with Israel eight months ago and said new strikes are an option after the midterm elections next week.
asserted
strikes → vow → elections
U.S. officials are said to have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to
after Tuesday's elections as well as for the possibility that Iran will attempt to retaliate against them.
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Iran → say → them
A third U.S. aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are making their way to the region.
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carrier → make → region
Before arriving at the Joint Staff, Sylvia served as the commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025, according to his official biography, which has now been taken offline.
uncertain
which → arrive → biography
He also previously served as the vice director for the J5.
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He → serve → J5
He is the latest in nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders to be fired, forced to retire or otherwise depart under Hegseth's tenure.
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He → fire → tenure
Almost none of the moves have been publicly explained by the Pentagon.
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none → explain → Pentagon
That includes the civilian secretaries of the Army and Navy as well as some top uniformed officers for the military services.
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That → include → services
Hegseth said last month that he ordered the military to double the cuts to the overall number of top officers to a 20% decrease to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027.
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he → say → Jan.
"I call it accountability and long overdue," Hegseth told junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30.
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Hegseth → call → Sept.
Some members of Congress have criticized cuts to the ranks of generals as a "purge" that will take years to rebuild.
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that → criticize → years
"He's got some kind of like deep-seated grievance about leadership in the military," Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot who has been critical of Hegseth, said last month.
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who → get → Hegseth
"He's purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it's going to take a generation to recover from it."
asserted
it → purge → it
The Aporia
