Pentagon accuses fired 3-star general of leaking classified information

October 30, 2026 3oliver

(Sgt. Timothy Jackson/U.S. Army/Associated Press)

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, a Pentagon senior military startegist, admitted disclosing classified information about Iran and Ukraine to journalists, according to an internal investigation report obtained by Axios.

The report details contacts between Sylvia and two reporters from different news organizations over roughly a year, including encrypted communications and a meeting at a restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, where he allegedly relayed information from a classified document.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Sylvia following an investigation into unauthorized disclosures. A U.S. official told Axios that Sylvia acknowledged the misconduct in a recorded interview after failing four polygraph examinations.

Reuters and CBS News cited Pentagon officials who said Sylvia failed three examinations.

The allegations also have been disputed by some of Sylvia’s colleagues. One told The Washington Post that the general repeatedly denied leaking classified information, although he acknowledged having contact with journalists.

Sylvia headed the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as J5, which helps develop military strategy and advise the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

According to Axios, the investigation traced Sylvia’s contacts with reporters to at least June 2025.

Some communications reportedly occurred through the encrypted messaging application Signal, while another encounter took place at a Silver Diner in Arlington after a journalist lost access to the Pentagon under tightened press restrictions.

During that meeting, Sylvia allegedly used notes taken from a classified report to brief a journalist on U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

The investigator’s report said the journalist was working on a book and had met with Sylvia twice.

The general had not obtained authorization from the Pentagon’s public affairs office or arranged for the material to be reviewed before sharing it, according to the report.

Investigators also examined deleted Signal communications involving another reporter and discussions concerning Iran.

Sylvia reportedly said he had deleted a message without responding and believed he had inadvertently erased the entire conversation.

U.S. officials, however, suspected the deletion was deliberate, Axios reported.

The investigation also found that Sylvia acknowledged being among 20 officials cited in a news report critical of Pentagon leadership.

The report described Sylvia as cooperative during questioning and said he surrendered his personal phone for forensic examination.

Questions about Sylvia’s removal also prompted an unusual reversal by the Joint Staff, which initially issued a statement thanking him for his 32 years of military service before withdrawing it.

A U.S. official told Axios that acting Army Secretary Adam Telle’s office had pushed for the favorable statement to limit potential fallout from allegations involving classified information.

The Joint Staff subsequently withdrew its remarks after learning more about the circumstances of Sylvia’s dismissal.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday that an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations had prompted personnel action to safeguard sensitive information. He also said the matter, along with others, had been referred to the Justice Department for possible legal action.

Sylvia, a decorated combat veteran who previously commanded the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, did not respond to requests for comment from Axios and other news organizations.

His removal comes as President Donald Trump considers renewed military strikes against Iran. A Pentagon official told The Associated Press that Sylvia was not a central planner of the Iran conflict, saying those responsibilities belonged to U.S. Central Command.

The allegations arise during a broader Pentagon effort to identify unauthorized disclosures. In July, Hegseth announced a joint initiative with the Justice Department targeting leaks, while stricter media-access rules introduced last year prompted numerous news organizations to surrender their Pentagon credentials.