An informed source told CNN that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Pentagon's chief planning official, at a time when President Donald Trump is considering launching new strikes against Iran.
A spokesman for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kain, confirmed that Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, who was director of strategy, plans and policies at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will leave his position suddenly.
No reason was given for Sylvia's dismissal, and it is not yet clear who will assume his responsibilities.
This dismissal comes within a long series of departures of senior officers from the Pentagon under the Trump administration, and since Hegseth took office, the military institution has witnessed widespread changes within the ranks of its senior leadership.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the position of Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, which Kaine held, is a strategic position focused on advising on US engagement plans at the international level.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff website explains that this section “proposes policy strategies, plans, and recommendations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to support the provision of military advice to the President and other national leaders on various national security issues.” It also ensures that these recommendations are based on a broader strategic context, in coordination with other government agencies and allies, taking into account the visions and requirements of combatant command commanders, and assessing the risks associated with implementing the National Military Strategy.
Sylvia, who previously served as commander of the 101st Airborne Division in the US Army, was nominated for this position by former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, near the end of the Joe Biden administration.
By Wednesday evening, Sylvia's biography had been removed from the Joint Chiefs of Staff's website. A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: “The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Joint Forces extend their sincere gratitude to Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia and his family for 32 years of distinguished service to our nation. We wish him and his family all the best as they move toward new opportunities and next chapters in their lives.”
Sylvia's removal from his position comes at a critical time for the Pentagon. According to CNN, citing US officials, earlier this week, US forces in the Middle East are on standby to launch new military operations, potentially large-scale, against Iran “within 96 hours of receiving” an order from Trump.
“It's going to be a big operation,” the report quoted one official, while current and former officials familiar with military planning discussions indicated they believe Trump issuing an action order is only a matter of time away.
Officials point out that Trump has not yet decided what he will do after the midterm elections, but he appears to be leaning toward issuing orders to carry out large-scale military action. However, officials noted that Trump had previously expressed an inclination to take certain measures, but backed away from them at the last minute.
Sylvia joins a list of senior Pentagon officials and officers who were relieved of their positions during Hegseth's tenure as Secretary of Defense. The most prominent of these is the Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George, who was forced to retire in April, one day after Trump indicated his intention to intensify the war with Iran.
Hegseth also dismissed more than two dozen high-ranking officers, ousted the Chief of Naval Staff with whom he had a falling out, and reportedly interfered in promotion processes across various branches of the armed forces, which led to the direct formation of the military leadership.
Sources reported to CNN that Sylvia's predecessor, Lieutenant General Joe McGee, also left his position in October 2025 under pressure from Hegseth, noting that McGee had often "opposed" the Secretary of War and Al-Kayne on issues ranging from Russia and Ukraine to military operations in the Caribbean.
On Wednesday, the Governor of New York State signed a new law prohibiting minors from using artificial intelligence-powered chatbots that appear to be their friend, in what is considered the most important step yet to restrict such models directed to consumers.
The law requires operators of programs such as “GBT Chat” to verify users’ ages and restrict the use of certain features if the user is under the age of eighteen, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
The law also stipulates that if a minor uses these programs, he is not allowed to generate any content that suggests to him that the program is “a human being, living, or possessing human feelings.”
The law also prohibits these programs from generating content that makes the user believe that they “have a personal or professional relationship with them or that they represent an authority figure.”
“Minors will no longer have access to chat programs that pretend to be their friend or romantic partner,” New York State Governor Kathy Hokul said during the law signing ceremony on Wednesday.
She added: “These programs will also not be able to retain sensitive information related to the emotional or physical health of minors.”
Other US states, such as California, have also passed laws restricting chatbots, but the law signed by Hocol includes wording that is among the most comprehensive in regulating this technology, which sparked criticism from artificial intelligence companies.
Tech:NYC, an organization concerned with defending the technology sector in New York, saw the wording of the law as “ambiguous.”
The organization added, in a statement, that “keeping children safe online should not mean depriving them of the tools that help them learn and prepare for their future career paths.”
OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to a request from Agence France-Presse to comment on this law.
On the other hand, the Common Sense Media organization, which is concerned with providing guidance to parents about the suitability of media content for children, welcomed the adoption of the law, describing it as “the strongest legislation in the country related to the safety of children in the field of artificial intelligence.”
“AI companies provide chatbots that contain dangerous, and sometimes deadly, features to children and teens,” Jim Steyer, the organization’s CEO, said in a statement. “Now, these harmful features will be prohibited by law in New York State.”
