Hegseth Removes Pentagon Strategist Brett Sylvia, Reports Say

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from the Pentagon, according to reporting by The Hill. The outlet reported that Sylvia served as Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as J-5, and described his removal as another instance of a senior officer leaving the department since Hegseth took the helm close to two years ago. The summary available does not name the other officers.

CBS News reported that Hegseth removed Sylvia, whom it described as the Pentagon's top military planner, citing a Pentagon official. Olivia Rinaldi reported the story for CBS News in a video report.

Fox News reported that Sylvia allegedly failed three polygraph exams tied to classified leaks about the Iran war and Ukraine before Hegseth fired him. The details appear in its Fox News report on the firing.

The accounts differ in emphasis, and none of the available text establishes a cause for the removal. The Hill's summary describes the removal without giving a reason in the portion available. CBS News's headline links the removal to Iran planning and says Sylvia allegedly failed polygraph tests, while Fox News's headline says he was accused of leaking classified information about the Iran war and Ukraine. Each of these points is presented as an allegation or as information from an unnamed official, and the available summaries do not include comment from Sylvia or the Pentagon on the record.

Sources: The Hill: Hegseth ousted top military strategist from Pentagon, sources say; CBS News: Hegseth fires top Pentagon strategist amid Iran planning who allegedly failed polygraph tests; Fox News: Hegseth fires top Pentagon strategist accused of leaking classified Iran, Ukraine war information.