The Pentagon has referred a top Army general to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, just one day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed him from one of the most sensitive planning jobs in the U.S. military over allegations that he leaked classified information to reporters.
Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired Wednesday from his post as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a position known as the J5, where he reported directly to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. The Washington Post first reported the criminal referral on Thursday.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement posted to X that an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations had led to personnel action and that the case had been sent to the Justice Department for potential further legal action. Parnell did not mention Sylvia by name, but the department said the removal was necessary to protect sensitive information.
According to an internal investigation report obtained by Axios, Sylvia allegedly admitted on video to making unauthorized disclosures of classified military information involving Iran and Ukraine to two journalists. The admission reportedly came after he repeatedly failed polygraph examinations, and one official claimed he failed three of them.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the department has ongoing investigations related to possible leaks of classified information. A referral does not mean charges have been filed, and no indictment has been announced. Federal prosecutors will now have to review the evidence and decide whether to bring a case.
Not everyone in the building was convinced. The Post reported that Sylvia’s firing came without any initial explanation and stunned many of his colleagues, some of whom questioned the account being put forward by members of Hegseth’s team. One colleague told reporters that Sylvia has repeatedly denied leaking classified information, though he acknowledged having past interactions with journalists.
The shake-up comes at a critical moment. Sylvia’s departure arrives as President Trump weighs his next moves in the conflict with Iran, and the J5 serves as a key link between military commanders, Pentagon policy and the White House. A former Joint Chiefs official told The Atlantic that now is not the time anyone would want to lose the person in that role.
The case is the latest and most serious step in Hegseth’s campaign to stop leaks inside the Pentagon. Under his leadership, the department has moved aggressively to identify the sources of unauthorized disclosures, administering polygraph tests to senior military leaders, including members of the Joint Staff. The Pentagon has also tightened its media policy, requiring reporters to have escorts inside the building.
The crackdown has had a rocky track record. Three Pentagon officials were fired in 2025 as part of an investigation into an unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, but none of them was ever referred for criminal prosecution. One of those aides, Dan Caldwell, later returned to the administration in a role at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a move that appeared to undercut the leak allegations against him.
This time, the Pentagon is signaling it intends to go further. By publicly announcing a referral to the Justice Department, officials made clear the Sylvia case is not being treated as routine turnover, and that accountability for alleged leaks will reach the highest ranks of the military.
The developments come just days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
