Three failed polygraphs preceded Hegseth’s firing of Pentagon strategy chief Brett Sylvia

Sylvia removed from J5 role

A Pentagon official told CBS News late Wednesday that Hegseth had fired Sylvia, the military’s top planner. Sylvia was serving as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position known in military circles as the J5.

A Joint Staff spokesperson thanked Sylvia and his family for 32 years of service and wished them well. Sylvia’s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.

Departures across military leadership

Sylvia is among nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other military leaders who have been fired, pushed into retirement or otherwise left during Hegseth’s tenure. The Pentagon has publicly explained almost none of those moves.

The departures also include the civilian secretaries of the Army and Navy, along with senior uniformed officers in some military services. Hegseth described the changes as accountability when speaking to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30.

Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot who has criticized Hegseth, said last month that the secretary was removing a generation of experienced military leaders. Kelly warned that rebuilding that leadership could take a generation.

Iran tensions form wider backdrop

A third U.S. aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are heading to the region. The article does not connect Sylvia’s removal directly to those deployments.