Purges at the Pentagon: Hegseth fires top military planner
Kyiv • UNN
Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed from his position as director of J5 without an immediate replacement. The dismissal came amid possible U.S. strikes on Iran.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Pentagon’s top military planner. A Pentagon representative said this on October 28, UNN reports, citing AP.
Details
This is the latest in a series of generals being dismissed, and it comes even as U.S. President Donald Trump is considering resuming strikes on Iran in the eight-month war.
U.S. Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed as head of the Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. He became the second general dismissed from the position, known in military circles as "J5," under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lieutenant General Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October last year.
A Pentagon representative said there was no immediate replacement for Sylvia and that no reason for his dismissal had been provided.
A representative of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said: "The Chairman, Joint Staff and Joint Force express their deep gratitude to Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia and his family for 32 years of distinguished service to our country" and "wish him and his family all the best."
Typically, the J5 director and his staff are responsible for developing and coordinating military plans with both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. president. Sylvia’s dismissal came amid Trump’s repeated statements about launching new military operations against Iran.
Trump vowed to "finish what was started" in Iran after the war with Israel began eight months ago and said new strikes could take place after next week’s midterm elections.
According to two diplomats familiar with the situation, U.S. officials warned a number of Middle Eastern countries and regional allies that they needed to be prepared for the possible resumption of hostilities after Tuesday’s election, as well as possible retaliatory measures by Iran. They said Trump had not yet made a final decision on new strikes.
A third U.S. aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are heading to the region.
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Last month, Hegseth said he had ordered the reduction in the total number of senior officer positions to be doubled to 20%, to be completed by January 1, 2027. There are currently about 800 admiral and general positions.
Some members of Congress have criticized the reduction in the number of general officers as a "purge" that will take years to recover from.
"He has some deeply rooted resentment toward the leadership in the Army. He is getting rid of an entire generation of great Army leaders, and it will take a whole generation to recover from this," Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy combat pilot who has criticized Hegseth, said last month.
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