Hegseth fires Pentagon’s top military planner as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, as President Donald Trump considers renewed military action against Iran.

Sylvia was serving as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a position known inside the Pentagon as the J5 and central to translating White House objectives into military planning.

No reason has been publicly given for his removal and no replacement has been announced.

Sylvia is the second officer in a year to be forced out of the J5 post under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was pushed into retirement last October.

The timing is particularly significant as the Trump administration reviews options for another round of strikes on Iran following the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.

U.S. officials have privately warned regional governments to prepare for possible renewed American attacks and Iranian retaliation, while additional troops and naval forces have been moved toward the Gulf.

Sylvia, a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division, served 32 years in the Army and had extensive combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His departure is the latest in a broader shake-up of senior military leadership under Hegseth, with nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other senior officers leaving or being removed since he took charge of the Pentagon.