WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon’s top military planner, a Defense official said Wednesday, the latest in a series of generals must be ousted and one that comes even as President Donald Trump is weighing new strikes against Iran in the war which lasted eight months.
Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia has been removed as chief of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the second general to be ousted from the post, known in military circles as “J5,” under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.
The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said there was no immediate replacement for Sylvia and no reason was given for the dismissal. This decision was previously reported by The Atlantic.
A spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that “the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Joint Force express our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation” and they “wish him and his family the best.”
Typically, the J5 Director and his staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the President. Sylvia’s firing comes as Trump has repeatedly called for launching new military operations against Iran.
Trump vowed to “finish the job” in Iran after starting war with Israel eight months ago and said further strikes are an option after the midterm elections next week.
U.S. officials have asked several Middle Eastern countries and regional allies to prepared for a possible resumption of military action after Tuesday’s elections as well as the possibility that Iran might try to retaliate against them, two diplomats briefed on the matter said. They say Trump has not made a final decision on further strikes.
A third American aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops their way to the region.
Before coming to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sylvia served as commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025, according to her official biography, which has now been taken offline. He was also vice-director of J5.
He is the latest of about 20 generals, admirals and other military leaders to have been fired, forced to retire or otherwise leave during Hegseth’s tenure — almost all of whom have not been publicly explained by the Pentagon. This includes civilians secretaries of the army And Navy as well as some senior uniformed officers for military services.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday evening.
Hegseth said last month that he had ordered the military to double the cuts of the total number of senior officers to a 20% decrease which is expected to be completed by January 1, 2027. There are currently approximately 800 general and general officer positions.
“I call it responsibility and what is long overdue” Hegseth said junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30.
Some members of Congress have criticized the cuts to the generals’ ranks, calling them a “purge” that will take years to rebuild.
“He has some sort of deep-seated grievance about leadership in the military,” Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, a former Navy combat pilot who has criticized Hegseth, said last month. “He’s purging a generation of great military leaders, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from that.”
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Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Samy Magdy in New York contributed to this report.
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