Pentagon Fires Top Military Planner Brett Sylvia

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, Lt Gen Brett Sylvia. Sylvia was the director of strategy, plans, and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He is the second general to be ousted from the post under Hegseth. The defence official did not give a reason for the firing and there is no immediate replacement for Sylvia.

The move comes as President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war. Trump has vowed to “finish the job” in Iran and said new strikes are an option after the midterm elections.

Sylvia's firing is part of a major US military leadership shake-up, with nearly two dozen generals, admirals, and other military leaders fired, forced to retire, or otherwise depart under Hegseth's tenure.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Hegseth had ordered the military to double the cuts to the overall number of top officers to a 20% decrease to be completed by Jan 1, 2027.