U.S. fires senior army general over alleged leaks: reports

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at an ASEAN meeting in Cebu, the Philippines, on Wednesday. Since returning to office early last year, U.S. President Donald Trump has overseen a purge of top military personnel, which Hegseth has insisted is simply the president choosing the leaders he wants. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

AFP-JIJI

Oct 30, 2026

WASHINGTON – The United States has fired a top military planner, U.S. media reported, with some outlets saying the dismissal was due to the officer allegedly leaking classified information.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was removed from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Staff, U.S. media reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

CBS and Fox both reported that Sylvia’s dismissal was related to leaks, with the former citing a Pentagon official as saying the general failed three polygraphs about sharing classified information with the media.

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