President Donald Trump was asked about the removal of Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday. Trump said Thursday, “We’re very much looking for leakers,” and added, “She’s gonna have big problems.”
[NOTE: Lt. Gen. Sylvia is a man, not a woman.]
President Trump on Pentagon Director for Strategy, Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, for allegedly leaking info: “She’s gonna have big problems…we’re very much looking for leakers.” https://t.co/d6V0MXV5Jl
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 29, 2026
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said in a social media post that the department “took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information,” without naming Sylvia. He said the matter had been referred to the Justice Department for “potential further legal action.”
A Pentagon official told Fox News that Sylvia “failed three polygraph examinations related to alleged disclosures of classified information.” The official said Sylvia was accused of sharing information about the Iran war and Russia’s war in Ukraine with journalists, and “was not a central planner of the Iran war,” which falls to U.S. Central Command.
The Department of War has zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Anyone who compromises sensitive national security information puts the lives of our Warriors at risk and undermines every military operation that keeps our country safe.
Following an extensive Air Force OSI investigation, the Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information. To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action.
This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action.
Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political or professional gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it.
Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) October 29, 2026
The Joint Staff’s first statement on Wednesday thanked Sylvia for “their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation.” On Thursday the Joint Staff withdrew it, and wrote: “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.” The AP reported that Sylvia did not respond to the outlet’s voicemail, texts, emails or a LinkedIn message.
Three aides fired earlier by Hegseth, including senior aide Dan Caldwell, said in a joint statement that they were “incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended.” The three have said they don’t know why they were removed.