The United States defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, dismissed Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia from his role as a high-ranking army strategist serving on the Pentagon joint staff. The dismissal followed allegations that Sylvia disclosed classified information to the public.
The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it had referred an alleged information leak case for criminal investigation. Officials maintained that the removal of the senior general was essential to protect sensitive information, according to reports by the Washington Post.
Sylvia served as the director for strategy, plans and policy on the joint staff. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell acknowledged the dismissal in a statement on social media, though he did not mention Sylvia by name.
Parnell stated that the matter, along with others, had been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed in a statement that it has ongoing investigations related to possible leaks of classified information.
The Justice Department spokesperson added that they work closely with government partners, including the Department of War, using the Trump administration designation for the Pentagon. Sylvia’s removal marks a significant action in Hegseth’s ongoing campaign to identify officials suspected of sharing information with journalists.
The action comes as the US conflict with Iran moves into its ninth month. In July, Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the Justice Department created a joint task force to identify and prosecute the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to the press.
Last year, Hegseth implemented new restrictions governing media access that prompted legal concerns from press organizations. Dozens of journalists surrendered their press badges rather than agree to the new media policies, which faced legal challenges.
A senior Pentagon official told Reuters that Sylvia failed three separate polygraph tests while being asked whether he disclosed classified material. The official said the extent of the leaking became critical, prompting Hegseth to take immediate action and fire Sylvia to protect national security.
A colleague of Sylvia told the Washington Post that the general consistently rejected accusations that he leaked classified information. The colleague acknowledged that Sylvia had previously communicated with members of the press.
In August, three journalists fired by the Pentagon from the US government-funded news outlet Stars and Stripes sued the department in federal court. They argued their dismissals were illegal and violated their First Amendment rights to free speech.
