File photo: Fired Lt Gen Brett Sylvia The US Army general fired by defence secretary Pete Hegseth admitted to leaking classified information about the wars in Iran and Ukraine to journalists over a period of roughly a year, according to an internal investigation report reviewed by Axios.Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, who headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, known as the J5, acknowledged sharing classified information with two reporters from separate media outlets, according to the report. A US official told Axios that Sylvia made the admissions on video after failing multiple polygraph tests during the investigation.Sylvia was dismissed by Hegseth on Wednesday over what the Pentagon described as severe misconduct. The investigation, which has been referred to the Department of Justice for further action, remains ongoing.According to the report, the disclosures began as early as June 2025 and continued after the Pentagon tightened restrictions on media access. Sylvia allegedly communicated with reporters through the encrypted messaging application Signal and also met one journalist in person at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia.The report said the diner meeting took place after the journalist’s access to the Pentagon had been revoked. During the meeting, Sylvia relied on notes he had made while reviewing a classified report to orally share information about US assistance to Ukraine. The journalist was working on a book and met Sylvia twice, the report said. Sylvia did not coordinate the meetings with the Pentagon’s public affairs office or seek clearance before sharing the information.
Investigation points to deleted messages
The investigation also raised questions about Sylvia’s handling of communications with one of the reporters. According to the report, he received a Signal message sometime in June or July that he believed concerned Iran. Sylvia said he could not recall its precise contents and claimed he had deleted the message, believing he had accidentally erased the entire conversation thread. This also removed Signal messages and calls that could otherwise have been recovered from his personal phone.US officials suspect Sylvia deliberately deleted the communications and presented the action as accidental. The report also said he admitted to being one of 20 officials cited in a media story critical of Pentagon leadership.Another US official told Axios that Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and his office had lobbied the Joint Staff to issue a statement supporting Sylvia in an effort to limit the damage from any future allegations of leaks. The Joint Staff later withdrew the statement after someone in the Defence Department informed it of the reasons behind Sylvia’s dismissal.US president Donald Trump, asked about the firing on Thursday, said Sylvia had “big problems” and that the administration was “very much looking for leakers”. Trump appeared to refer to Sylvia using female pronouns.Separately to the Axios report, a defence department official also confirmed to Al Jazeera that Sylvia was under investigation for leaking classified information concerning the Iran war, Russia’s war against Ukraine and other matters. The official said he had failed three polygraph tests and accused him of putting national security at risk. The official also stressed that Sylvia was not a central planner for the Iran war, saying that responsibility rested with Centcom and its commander, Adm Brad Cooper.
Hegseth’s wider crackdown on leaks
Sylvia’s dismissal is the latest action in Hegseth’s campaign against unauthorised disclosures to the media. In July, the Pentagon announced a joint task force with the Justice Department to identify leakers and directed its Office of General Counsel to prioritise prosecutions over the unauthorised release of classified information.The Pentagon had also introduced restrictive rules governing journalists’ access and reporting in October 2025, prompting several news organisations and defence reporters to surrender their press credentials.Sylvia is the second officer to be removed from the J5 position under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt Gen Joseph McGee, was forced into retirement in October last year.No immediate replacement has been named for Sylvia, according to an official cited by The Associated Press.