Fired Strategist Admitted Passing War Secrets to Reporters, Pentagon Probe Finds

Fired Strategist Admitted Passing War Secrets to Reporters, Pentagon Probe Finds

The man at the center: Joint Staff strategy chief Brett Sylvia

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the director for Strategy, Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff — known in the building as the J5 — was fired this week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The J5 coordinates military plans and policy worldwide, including the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Sylvia is the second J5 chief removed under Hegseth; his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.

What the report says: a year of disclosures to two journalists

According to an internal Pentagon investigation report reviewed by Axios, Sylvia admitted sharing classified information about the Iran and Ukraine wars with two journalists from separate outlets over roughly a year. A Pentagon official speaking anonymously added that the suspected disclosures also covered other topics and put national security at risk.

How it allegedly happened: Signal chats and a diner meeting

The report and U.S. officials say the contacts began as early as June 2025, before mainstream outlets were removed from the Pentagon, and continued afterward through the encrypted app Signal plus an in-person meeting at the Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia. That meeting happened because one reporter's Pentagon access had been revoked, the report says. During it, Sylvia relied on notes he had taken while reviewing a classified report to orally describe U.S. assistance to Ukraine. One of the journalists was reportedly working on a book and met the general twice.

The Pentagon's case: failed polygraphs, a phone exam, DOJ referral

Officials say Sylvia failed multiple polygraph examinations about the disclosures — three, according to accounts given to CBS, four according to the report reviewed by Axios — and acknowledged the misconduct on video. He turned over his personal phone for forensic examination, though officials suspect he deliberately deleted material. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department has zero tolerance for unauthorized disclosures and took necessary personnel action. The case has been referred to the Justice Department, which says leak-related investigations are ongoing.

Why it matters now: a wartime firing with courtroom stakes

The dismissal lands at a delicate moment: the war with Iran is in its eighth month and President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes. Sylvia, a West Point graduate with more than 30 years of service who commanded the 101st Airborne Division, had led the J5 since December. In its statement on the firing, the Joint Staff thanked him for 32 years of service. Unlike most of Hegseth's senior-officer removals, this one carries an alleged crime. Whether prosecutors bring charges — and whether the internal report is ever made public — will determine if the Pentagon's account holds up beyond the building.