Hegseth fires Pentagon’s top military planner; move comes as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran
Hegseth has ordered a 20% cut to the number of top US officers by Jan. 1, 2027. Brett Sylvia is the latest of nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders to depart under Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, a defense official said Wednesday. The dismissal came as President Donald Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran, eight months into the war.
Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a post known in military circles as the “J5.” He is the second general ousted from the role under Hegseth.
Sylvia's predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.
The official, on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said no reason had been given for the firing, and there is no immediate replacement. A Joint Staff spokesperson 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 that they “wish him and his family the best.”
The J5 director and staff are typically responsible for generating and coordinating military plans with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president. Trump has repeatedly floated new operations against Iran, vowing to “finish the job” after launching the war with Israel eight months ago.
President Trump has said new strikes are an option after the midterm elections next week.
US officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to prepare for potential renewed military action after Tuesday’s elections, and for the possibility that Iran will try to retaliate against them, two diplomats briefed on the matter said. The diplomats said Trump has not made a final decision.
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Brett Sylvia is the latest of nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders to be fired, forced to retire or otherwise depart under Hegseth, almost all without public explanation from the Pentagon.
Hegseth said last month that he ordered the military to double cuts to the overall number of top officers, to a 20% decrease by Jan. 1, 2027, from roughly 800 flag and general officer positions. “I call it accountability and long overdue,” he told junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30.
Some members of Congress have called the cuts a “purge.” Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and former Navy combat pilot, said last month: “He’s purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from it.”