Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from his post as the Pentagon’s top military planner, a defense official confirmed on Wednesday. No reason was given for the dismissal, and no successor has been named.
Sylvia served as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a role known inside the military as the J5. The office turns political direction into military plans and coordinates planning with the Joint Chiefs chairman and the president.
Sylvia is the second general to lose the J5 job under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced into retirement last October.
The Joint Staff offered no explanation for the change. A spokesperson said the chairman, the Joint Staff and the Joint Force extend their gratitude to Sylvia and his family for 32 years of distinguished service. Sylvia previously commanded the Army’s 101st Airborne Division through May 2025, and his biography has since been removed from the Joint Chiefs’ website.
The dismissal comes as President Donald Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran. Trump has said new strikes are an option after next week’s midterm elections, and US officials have told allies in the Middle East to prepare for possible military action and for the possibility of Iranian retaliation.
The Atlantic first reported the dismissal, which a defense official then confirmed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive personnel matter.
Source: Associated Press
