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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's most senior military planner, according to reports, marking the latest departure among the U.S. military's top brass that has raised worries that Hegseth is stripping the most capable commanders from the armed forces.
Hegseth removed U.S. Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia as the Joint Chiefs of Staff's strategy, planning and policy chief, the Associated Press reported. The move comes as the Trump administration weighs restarting military operations against Iran, with no peace deal on the horizon to bring the eight months of war with Tehran to a close.
But U.S. officials are concerned that the conflict, for now ground to an effective halt, risks weakening U.S. power elsewhere and further depleting stockpiles of vital missiles, including expensive yet scarce Patriot interceptor missiles.
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President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has pledged to "finish the job" with Iran hand-in-hand with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, throwing his weight behind the embattled Israeli leader ahead of this week's Israeli elections, which failed to produce a clear winner.
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The previous top military planner—a position known as J5 in Pentagon parlance—was pushed out of the position a little more than a year ago. Lieutenant General Joseph McGee was said to have clashed with Hegseth for months before his departure.
"Now is not the time when you’d want to lose the J5," an unnamed former Joint Chiefs of Staff official told the Atlantic, which first reported the personnel change. "This person would serve as a critical link between the operational force, the department policy and the White House."
It's not clear why Sylvia, a former 101st Airborne Division commander, was removed. An anonymous source told ABC News that he was dismissed over a lack of confidence.
It was not immediately clear who will succeed Sylvia. The Pentagon and Army referred Newsweek to the office for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which has been contacted for comment.
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A spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs said its members offered their "deepest gratitude" to Sylvia and his family for more than three decades of "distinguished service to our nation."
Hegseth has overseen a tearing apart of the Pentagon, deriding diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and lauding traditional, masculine "warrior" ideals while sidelining the department's most senior military lawyers, decrying "woke" ideology and demanding that female service members meet the "highest male standard."
Hegseth confirmed last month that he would axe one-fifth of all U.S. generals and admirals by the start of 2027, calling the measure "long overdue." He condemned what he called "fat generals and admirals" during an extraordinary gathering of the country's most senior military commanders in September 2025.
Who Has Left Under Hegseth?
Air Force General Charles "CQ" Brown Jr., Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. Just weeks into Trump's second administration, the president suddenly announced that the military's top-ranking soldier was being replaced by the Air Force General Dan Caine. Hegseth described Brown as an "honorable man, not the right man for the moment" in February 2025, while warning that more dismissals would follow.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, chief of Naval Operations. Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the Navy's top official, was removed the same day Brown was forced out.
Air Force General James Slife, vice chief of the Air Force. Slife was also dismissed in the February 2025 purge.
Lieutenant General Joseph Berger, Army judge advocate general (JAG). While less prominent public figures, the judge advocates general are the top uniformed lawyers, providing advice to commanders on whether orders are legal. Berger, the most senior Army lawyer, was fired in February 2025.
Air Force Lieutenant General Charles Plummer, Air Force judge advocate general. The Air Force's counterpart was dismissed in February 2025. The Navy's JAG position was vacant at the time. Hegseth had previously described military lawyers as "roadblocks" and tacked the nickname "Jag-offs" to those lawyers.
General Randy George, U.S. Army chief of staff. The Pentagon said George, a popular and well-regarded leader, would be retiring "immediately" in April 2026. His departure came a matter of weeks after the start of the U.S.-led attacks on Iran on February 28 in which the U.S. Army was heavily involved.
General Chris Donahue, head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and NATO land forces in Europe. Donahue had spent just 18 months in the job when he announced he would be resigning. Donahue was widely known as the last man out of Afghanistan and was seen as linked to former President Joe Biden's administration, although he was generally admired by U.S. and NATO soldiers across ranks and political affiliations, including in European militaries. His exit came as the Pentagon forged ahead with plans to change its long-standing troop deployments in Europe.
Air Force General David Allvin, Air Force chief of staff. Allvin said in August 2025 that he would be retiring early—a surprising move only halfway through his term as the head of the service.
General Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). In October 2025, Hegseth announced that Holsey would step down by the end of the year, well ahead of the expected end of his term. The announcement came weeks after the start of the administration's controversial strike campaign on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, carried out by SOUTHCOM.
General Timothy Haugh, National Security Agency (NSA) director and head of U.S. Cyber Command. Haugh was fired in early April 2025 along with the NSA's deputy chief, Wendy Noble.
Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Kruse was removed in August 2025.
Lieutenant General Jennifer Short, senior military assistant to the secretary of defense. Short was one of the initial casualties of Hegseth's February 2025 purge.
Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee. The Pentagon said in April 2025 that Hegseth had removed Chatfield from "due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead."
Major General William Green, head of the Army Chaplain Corps. Green was removed along with George, months after Hegseth had criticized the running of the chaplaincy.
Rear Admiral Milton Sands, head of Naval Special Warfare Command. Sands was relieved of his duties in August 2025, along with Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, Navy Reserve chief.
Dan Driscoll, Army Secretary. Driscoll, the highest-ranking civilian leader in the Army, announced his resignation in August 2026, after reportedly butting heads with Hegseth for several months.
John Phelan, Navy secretary. Phelan left his role in April 2026 amid reports that he had been fired.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Dave Siminoff.
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