Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from his role as director of Strategy, Plans and Policy following an inquiry that included three failed polygraphs. Sylvia admitted on video to sharing classified materials on Ukraine and Iran with reporters, including meeting a book author at a Virginia diner. Investigators suspect he intentionally deleted encrypted Signal threads on his personal device to conceal the communications. The ongoing matter has been forwarded to the Justice Department as a joint task force targets Pentagon leakers.
Key points
The referral of the case to the Department of Justice signals potential criminal prosecut…: The referral of the case to the Department of Justice signals potential criminal prosecution for the former director.
Sylvia represents the second J5 director removed from the post during Defense Secretary P…: Sylvia represents the second J5 director removed from the post during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's administration.
The Pentagon has established a joint task force with federal prosecutors to actively hunt…: The Pentagon has established a joint task force with federal prosecutors to actively hunt and penalize media leaks.
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The US Army general fired by defence secretary
Pete Hegseth admitted to leaking classified information about the wars in Iran and Ukraine to journalists over a period of roughly a year, according to an internal investigation report reviewed by Axios.
Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, who headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, known as the J5, acknowledged sharing classified information with two reporters from separate media outlets, according to the report. A US official told Axios that Sylvia made the admissions on video after failing multiple polygraph tests during the investigation.
Sylvia was dismissed by Hegseth on Wednesday over what the Pentagon described as severe misconduct. The investigation, which has been referred to the Department of Justice for further action, remains ongoing.
According to the report, the disclosures began as early as June 2025 and continued after the Pentagon tightened restrictions on media access. Sylvia allegedly communicated with reporters through the encrypted messaging application Signal and also met one journalist in person at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia.
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