USA: Pete Hegseth fires senior military strategist Brett Sylvia
The high-ranking military is accused of leaking information about the Iran and Ukraine wars.
Quick Look
- A US lieutenant general named Sylvia was fired by the Pentagon.
- He is accused of unauthorized disclosure of secret information about the Iran and Ukraine wars.
- He is also said to have failed three lie detector tests on this matter.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been reorganizing military leadership since January 2025. President Trump also hinted at possible military action against Iran.
A Pentagon official told the dpa news agency that Sylvia was being investigated because, among other things, he was said to have passed on secret information about the Iran War and the Ukraine War. He was fired for serious misconduct.
The US media CBS and Fox News had previously reported that the lieutenant general had been fired because he was said to have leaked secret information. CBS cited a Pentagon official as saying that Sylvia failed three polygraph tests to determine whether he had leaked classified information to the media.
Parnell did not mention Sylvia by name. He added that "there will be no further comment on the person concerned or the circumstances of this action."
Speculation about new attacks after the midterms
Sylvia's departure is surprising because there is currently speculation about a possible new US attack on Iran. US President Donald Trump said last Friday, referring to the name of the US-Israeli operation that began in February, that Washington could "do another little epic wrath."
Trump did not provide any information about a possible time for new attacks. However, there is speculation that they will not start until after the midterms on November 3rd at the earliest. Since the beginning of September, neither the US Army nor the Iranian side have carried out major attacks on land targets. The recent focus has been on attacks on merchant ships.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has replaced numerous senior military officials on behalf of President Trump since taking office in January 2025. At the end of September, the Republican told military leaders that he had reduced the number of highest-ranking officers and permanent positions "by 20 percent" - that would be twice as much as previously announced.
Open Questions
- What specific information was shared?
- When exactly will the official investigation be completed?
