The United States has fired a top military planner, US media reported, with some outlets saying the dismissal was due to the officer allegedly leaking classified information.
uncertain
officer → fire → information
Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, US media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.
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media → remove → sources
CBS and Fox both reported that Sylvia’s dismissal was related to leaks, with the former citing a Pentagon official as saying the general failed three polygraphs about sharing classified information with the media.
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general → report → media
A spokesperson for the Joint Staff, a top Pentagon body that handles planning and other issues, initially issued a statement that confirmed Sylvia’s departure and wished him well but later withdrew it, saying: “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.”
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statement → handle → circumstances
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell then said in a post on X that the Defense Department “has zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorised disclosure of classified information” and took “necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information.”
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Department → say → information
Parnell did not identify Sylvia by name and said “no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action”.
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comment → identify → action
“This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action,” he added.
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he → refer → action
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Department → respond → comment
Since returning to office early last year, Trump has overseen a purge of top military personnel, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025.
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he → return → February
Other senior officers pushed out include the heads of the US Army, Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the US Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to Nato, and three top military lawyers.
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who → push → Nato
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicisation of the traditionally neutral US military.
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lawmakers → insist → military
Hegseth said last month that the US had slashed the number of its generals and admirals by 20 per cent, in a move he said was aimed at “accountability”.
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he → say → accountability
He suggested the cuts targeted officers who failed to get on board with his efforts to ensure the military is focused on war-fighting rather than the “woke” policies of previous administrations, describing the reductions as an “accomplishment”.
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military → suggest → accomplishment
The reported sacking of Sylvia comes as Trump is believed to be weighing fresh strikes against Iran after US midterm elections next Tuesday.
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Trump → report → elections
“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump said last week, referring to US-Israeli attacks on Tehran in February that triggered the war.
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that → do → war
He did not give any indication on timing.
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He → give → timing
Neither the US nor Iran has engaged in major attacks on land-based targets since early September, settling instead into a pattern of strikes on commercial ships.
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US → engage → ships
No reason was given for Sylvia’s reported departure.
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reason → give → departure
His previous roles included leading the 101st Airborne Division — the US army’s air assault division — and heading a unit in Iraq.
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roles → include → Iraq
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