Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from his post as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the second general to lose that job under Hegseth's watch. No reason has been given for the firing, and no replacement has been named.
The removal was confirmed per a defense official and first reported by The Atlantic ahead of an Associated Press account carried by KTLA. According to The Washington Times, Sylvia had held the position known as J5, where the director and staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans. The Pentagon had not immediately responded to requests for comment by late Wednesday, while a Joint Staff spokesperson issued a statement thanking Sylvia and his family.
Sylvia previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025, and had served as the J5's vice director before stepping into the top role. His predecessor in that post, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire from the position in October 2025 after reported clashes with Hegseth's leadership team, according to NOTUS. McGee had been nominated by former President Joe Biden in 2024 to serve as director of the Joint Staff, the outlet reported.
A Pentagon in Constant Turnover
Sylvia's exit lands amid a wave of departures that has reshaped the Pentagon's senior ranks since Hegseth took over. The Washington Times describes Sylvia as the latest in nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders to be fired, forced to retire or otherwise depart during Hegseth's tenure, with the Pentagon declining to publicly explain almost all of those exits. Other outlets put the number differently: NOTUS reports that more than a dozen senior military officials have been fired or retired since President Trump took office, while The Hill reports Hegseth has fired or pushed out more than two dozen senior military officers across the service branches.
The departures have reached beyond the uniformed ranks, with civilian secretaries of the Army and Navy and top service officers among those swept up in the churn, the Washington Times reports. NOTUS reports that most of the officials who parted ways with the Pentagon this year were said to have been at odds with Hegseth's leadership. Among the highest-profile exits documented by Axios: Trump fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. in February 2025, roughly 16 months into his four-year term, and Hegseth fired then-Navy chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti and removed Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife in the same leadership purge.
Hegseth's Push to Shrink the Officer Corps
The shake-up is unfolding alongside a formal effort to shrink the military's senior ranks. Hegseth has said he ordered cuts to the number of top officers, and per the Washington Times he has since doubled that target to a 20% reduction to be completed by Jan. 1, 2027. There are currently roughly 800 flag and general officer positions across the armed forces, according to the same report. The Hill notes the cut proposal follows a year in which Hegseth already oversaw a 10 percent reduction of general officers.
The plan has drawn pushback on Capitol Hill. Some members of Congress have criticized the cuts as a purge that could take years to rebuild. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat and former Navy combat pilot, said last month that Hegseth is purging a generation of military leaders and that recovery will take a generation, and separately said Hegseth harbors a deep-seated grievance about military leadership.
Iran Strikes Loom Over the Shake-Up
The leadership turmoil comes as Trump weighs renewed military action against Iran, a step he has repeatedly floated since launching the war with Israel eight months before this reporting. Trump has said new strikes on Iran remain an option after next week's midterm elections, though officials say he has not made a final decision.
U.S. officials have told Middle East countries and regional allies to prepare for potential renewed military action after Tuesday's elections, warning that Iran might retaliate against those nations, according to two diplomats cited in reporting carried by OPB. A third U.S. aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are making their way to the region, underscoring the stakes facing whoever ultimately leads Pentagon planning in Sylvia's absence.
