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Hegseth fires Pentagon's top military planner

newsOct 29, 2026201,376

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia as director of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon's top military planner, the Defense Department said Wednesday. Sylvia is the second officer removed from the J5 post under Hegseth; his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October. The defense official who confirmed the firing said no reason was given and there is no immediate replacement, while a Joint Staff spokesperson thanked Sylvia for 32 years of service. The move comes as President Donald Trump has floated renewed strikes on Iran and as a third U.S. aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops head to the region. Hegseth has ordered a 20 percent cut in top officer ranks to be completed by January 1, 2027, and Sylvia’s departure is one of nearly two dozen senior military leaders who have left under Hegseth’s tenure. Sen. Mark Kelly warned the cuts look like a purge that will take years to rebuild, framing the removals as a source of institutional instability precisely when military plans may be needed.

Khashoggi's Ghost
@urocklive1.bsky.social

Our illustrious "Secretary of War" has fired another senior general, and nobody knows why. I suspect either said general was unwilling to break the law, or was so much smarter than Pete that Pete couldn't deal with it. www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth...

4605h ago
Tyler King
@tyleraking.com

Hegseth has fired the Pentagon’s chief planner, Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No explanation was given.

3097h ago
3 sources