Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed another high-ranking military officer from the Pentagon, dismissing a senior strategist responsible for helping shape the nation’s military planning and national security policies.
Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who served as director for Strategy, Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff, was fired this week, according to two U.S. officials who spoke with The Hill on condition of anonymity.
The sudden departure adds to a growing list of senior military officers removed or pushed out since Hegseth took charge of the Defense Department nearly two years ago.
But one important question remains unanswered: Why was Sylvia fired?
Neither Hegseth nor the Pentagon has publicly provided a reason for his removal.
When The Hill contacted the defense secretary’s office for comment, officials directed questions to the Joint Staff.
Rather than addressing the circumstances surrounding his departure, a spokesperson offered a statement recognizing Sylvia’s decades of military service.
“The Chairman [Gen. Dan Caine], the Joint Staff and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation,” the spokesperson said.
“We wish him and his family the best as they graduate to new opportunities and the next chapters of their lives.”
Sylvia was hardly a minor figure within the Pentagon.
A former commander of the Army’s prestigious 101st Airborne Division, he held a position central to developing military strategy and advising the nation’s top defense leadership.
As director of the Joint Staff’s J-5 directorate, Sylvia helped oversee strategic planning, policy recommendations and assessments involving national security challenges.
The office works to ensure that military recommendations provided to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflect broader strategic considerations, including coordination with allied nations, other federal agencies and combatant commanders.
Its responsibilities also include evaluating risks associated with carrying out the National Military Strategy.
That makes Sylvia’s removal particularly notable as Washington confronts major international security challenges.
His dismissal comes as U.S. Central Command has reportedly developed potential military attack plans involving Iran that could be carried out after the November 3 midterm elections if authorized by the White House.
The Hill previously reported on those preparations, although no evidence has emerged connecting Sylvia’s removal to the Iran planning.
For now, the Pentagon has not identified who will permanently replace him.
One U.S. official and another person familiar with the situation told The Hill that his successor remains undecided.
Typically, a deputy or vice director within the Joint Staff would temporarily assume the responsibilities until the president nominates a permanent replacement for Senate confirmation, per local ABC News 10.
Sylvia’s dismissal is the latest in a much broader reshuffling of military leadership under Hegseth.
According to The Hill, more than two dozen senior officers have been fired or pushed out since he became defense secretary.
Those decisions have generated criticism from lawmakers in both parties, with questions emerging about the pace and scope of the personnel changes.
Hegseth, however, has defended his broader effort to reduce the military’s senior leadership ranks.
Earlier this month, he outlined a plan to cut as many as 20% of admirals and generals across the armed forces, arguing that the military has become unnecessarily top-heavy.
Speaking October 1 at the Association of the United States Army in Washington, Hegseth said excessive layers of leadership can create distance between senior commanders and service members.
“With more layers and more rank comes more distance between the warfighter and the decisionmaker, and not necessarily better outcomes,” he said.
The defense secretary argued that expanding the number of high-ranking officers does not necessarily improve military performance.
His position reflects a broader effort to streamline military command structures and reduce what he considers unnecessary bureaucracy.
Still, Sylvia’s dismissal follows another departure involving the same influential Pentagon position.
His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, retired last year after reportedly experiencing friction with Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine.
Now, with Sylvia also gone, the Pentagon faces another leadership transition in an office responsible for some of its most consequential strategic planning.
Whether his firing was connected to Hegseth’s restructuring initiative, disagreements over policy or other considerations remains unknown.
What is clear is that the latest removal continues a substantial transformation of the Pentagon’s senior leadership, even as the United States weighs major military decisions abroad.
