Pentagon General Admits to Leaking Intel on Ukraine, Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon’s top military planner, Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, after an investigation in which he admitted to passing classified information about Ukraine and Iran to journalists.

Sylvia headed the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, known as J5. He previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations conducted an internal report. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the case had been sent to the Justice Department for possible further action, alongside other matters he did not identify.

“Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it,” Parnell said.

Reported Admission

According to Axios, the internal investigation describes disclosures to two journalists from different outlets over roughly a year, beginning as early as June 2025.

A U.S. official told Axios that Sylvia acknowledged the misconduct on video after failing four polygraph tests.

A separate official cited by Reuters put the number of failed tests at three.

The report said Sylvia answered investigators’ questions and handed over his personal phone for forensic examination.

One encounter took place at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia, after a reporter lost Pentagon access.

According to the report, Sylvia used notes from a classified document to brief the journalist orally about U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

The journalist was working on a book and met Sylvia twice.

The report said the general neither arranged the meetings through Pentagon public affairs officials nor submitted the information for review before sharing it.

Signal Contacts Examined

Investigators also examined Sylvia’s exchanges with a journalist on Signal. U.S. officials suspect he deliberately erased evidence of those contacts, Axios reported.

Sylvia told investigators he believed he had accidentally deleted an entire conversation while removing a message that he thought concerned Iran, according to the report.

The deletion removed the thread’s messages and call history from his phone.

The report also said he acknowledged being among 20 officials cited in an article critical of Pentagon leadership.

Sylvia did not respond to requests for comment from either news organization.

Wider Pentagon Crackdown

The dismissal comes as U.S. military planners consider renewed intensive bombing of Iran.

Leaks about operational planning and weapons consumption have angered Pentagon leaders.

Hegseth’s effort to identify sources has included polygraph examinations of senior officials.

In July, the Pentagon announced a joint task force with the Justice Department targeting unauthorized disclosures.

The Joint Staff initially thanked Sylvia for 32 years of service, then withdrew its statement.

A spokesperson said, “We determined the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” and declined further comment because of the ongoing personnel process.