Washington
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted the Pentagon’s top planning official as President Donald Trump considers further strikes against Iran, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who served as director of strategy, plans and policies, also known as J5, for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is abruptly leaving his post, a spokesperson for Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed.
No reason was given for Sylvia’s dismissal, and it is unclear who will take over her responsibilities. CNN has reached out to Hegseth’s office for comment.
His firing is the latest in a long line of senior officers who have left the Pentagon during the Trump administration and since Hegseth took office, enacting significant reductions at the top military ranks.
According to the Joint Chiefs, the J5 role is a strategic role focused on advising on U.S. engagement plans internationally.
“The Joint Chiefs of Staff J5 proposes strategies, plans and policy recommendations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to support his provision of military advice to the President and other national leaders on the full range of national security concerns and to ensure that these recommendations are informed by a broader strategic context – coordinated with interagency and alliance partners – take into account the views and requirements of combatant commanders and assess the risks associated with the execution of the national military strategy,” it says the Joint Chiefs of Staff website.
Sylvia, who was once commander of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, was appointed to the position by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin near the end of the Biden administration.
By Wednesday evening, Sylvia’s biography had been removed from the Joint Chiefs website.
“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. We wish him and his family the best as they obtain new opportunities and embark on the next chapters of their lives,” a Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson said.
Sylvia’s withdrawal comes at a crucial time for the Pentagon. As CNN reported, two US officials told CNN earlier this week that US forces in the Middle East were prepared to launch new, potentially major, military operations against Iran “within 96 hours of receipt” of an order from Trump.
“It will take a big effort,” one of the officials told CNN. That view has been echoed by other current and former U.S. officials familiar with internal discussions about military planning — some of whom say the question is when, not if, Trump will give the order to leave. They think it could come any time before the end of the year, but most likely after the US midterm elections.
Officials say Trump has not yet decided what he will do after the midterm elections, but appears intent on ordering major action. But officials also warn that Trump has in the past appeared to lean in favor of certain actions only to back down at the last moment.
Trump previously said no attacks would take place before Tuesday’s midterms.
Sylvia joins a list of top Pentagon officials and officers fired during Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary. Prominent among them was Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who was forced to retire in April, a day after Trump signaled he planned to escalate the war with Iran.
He also fired more than two dozen senior officers, forced out a Navy secretary he had clashed with and reportedly interfered in promotions within the military branches, directly shaping leadership.
Sylvia’s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, also left his post in October 2025 under pressure from Hegseth, sources told CNN at the time, adding that McGee frequently “pushbacked” the Defense Secretary and Caine on issues ranging from Russia and Ukraine to military operations in the Caribbean.
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