The US Army general fired by defence secretary
Pete Hegseth
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general → fire → Hegseth
Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, who headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, known as the J5, acknowledged sharing classified information with two reporters from separate media outlets, according to the report.
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who → head → report
A US official told Axios that Sylvia made the admissions on video after failing multiple polygraph tests during the investigation.
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Sylvia → tell → investigation
Sylvia was dismissed by Hegseth on Wednesday over what the Pentagon described as severe misconduct.
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Pentagon → dismiss → misconduct
The investigation, which has been referred to the Department of Justice for further action, remains ongoing.
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which → refer → action
According to the report, the disclosures began as early as June 2025 and continued after the Pentagon tightened restrictions on media access.
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Pentagon → accord → access
Sylvia allegedly communicated with reporters through the encrypted messaging application Signal and also met one journalist in person at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia.
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Sylvia → communicate → Arlington
The report said the diner meeting took place after the journalist’s access to the Pentagon had been revoked.
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access → say → Pentagon
During the meeting, Sylvia relied on notes he had made while reviewing a classified report to orally share information about US assistance to Ukraine.
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he → rely → Ukraine
The journalist was working on a book and met Sylvia twice, the report said.
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report → work → Sylvia
Sylvia did not coordinate the meetings with the Pentagon’s public affairs office or seek clearance before sharing the information.
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Sylvia → coordinate → information
Investigation points to deleted messages
The investigation also raised questions about Sylvia’s handling of communications with one of the reporters.
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investigation → point → reporters
According to the report, he received a Signal message sometime in June or July that he believed concerned Iran.
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he → accord → Iran
Sylvia said he could not recall its precise contents and claimed he had deleted the message, believing he had accidentally erased the entire conversation thread.
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he → say → thread
This also removed Signal messages and calls that could otherwise have been recovered from his personal phone.
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that → remove → phone
US officials suspect Sylvia deliberately deleted the communications and presented the action as accidental.
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Sylvia → suspect → action
The report also said he admitted to being one of 20 officials cited in a media story critical of Pentagon leadership.
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he → say → leadership
Another US official told Axios that Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and his office had lobbied the Joint Staff to issue a statement supporting Sylvia in an effort to limit the damage from any future allegations of leaks.
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Telle → tell → leaks
The Joint Staff later withdrew the statement after someone in the Defence Department informed it of the reasons behind Sylvia’s dismissal.
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someone → withdraw → dismissal
US president Donald Trump, asked about the firing on Thursday, said Sylvia had “big problems” and that the administration was “very much looking for leakers”.
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administration → ask → leakers
Trump appeared to refer to Sylvia using female pronouns.
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Trump → appear → pronouns
Separately to the Axios report, a defence department official also confirmed to Al Jazeera that Sylvia was under investigation for leaking classified information concerning the Iran war, Russia’s war against Ukraine and other matters.
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Sylvia → confirm → Ukraine
The official said he had failed three polygraph tests and accused him of putting national security at risk.
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he → say → risk
The official also stressed that Sylvia was not a central planner for the Iran war, saying that responsibility rested with Centcom and its commander, Adm Brad Cooper.
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responsibility → stress → Centcom
In July, the Pentagon announced a joint task force with the Justice Department to identify leakers and directed its Office of General Counsel to prioritise prosecutions over the unauthorised release of classified information.
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Pentagon → announce → information
The Pentagon had also introduced restrictive rules governing journalists’ access and reporting in October 2025, prompting several news organisations and defence reporters to surrender their press credentials.
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Pentagon → introduce → credentials
Sylvia is the second officer to be removed from the J5 position under Hegseth.
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Sylvia → remove → Hegseth
His predecessor, Lt Gen Joseph McGee, was forced into retirement in October last year.
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predecessor → force → October
No immediate replacement has been named for Sylvia, according to an official cited by The Associated Press.
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replacement → name → Press
The Aporia
