Ousted war planner Sylvia admitted leaking classified Iran and Ukraine information to two reporters, an internal report says

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia admitted to leaking classified information about Ukraine and Iran to two reporters from separate outlets over a one-year period, according to an internal report of the investigation shared with Axios¹. He acknowledged the misconduct on video after he failed four polygraph tests, a US official said¹.

“He had trouble passing multiple polygraph interviews,” the report said¹. It accused the general of making “unauthorized disclosures to the media” and said he “was cooperative with answering questions” about his interactions with reporters¹.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Sylvia, a senior military planner on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, on Thursday^2,7. Sylvia is a career soldier and was the Pentagon’s top military planner^1,7.

Why it matters to investors

Sylvia oversaw planning at the Pentagon³, and the leaks concerned the wars in Ukraine and Iran¹. The shake-up in the office responsible for war planning⁷ comes while the department is managing both conflicts, which bear directly on energy and defence markets.

The Pentagon has defended the move publicly. Spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a warning in a statement on X shortly after the news broke⁴. Supporters of the decision argue that Hegseth smoked out a wartime mole⁶, while the internal report described the leaks as unauthorized disclosures to the media¹.

Others have raised questions about how the case was handled. The Pentagon’s disclosure about the fired general’s failed polygraph may have violated privacy laws⁵. Critics have also asked whether Hegseth fired the wrong general⁵, and the dismissal follows Hegseth’s own Signal scandal⁷.

What to watch

The privacy question⁵ is separate from the leak investigation itself. How the Pentagon justifies releasing details of the polygraph results^1,5 will shape the response from critics of the department.

The report says Sylvia cooperated with investigators¹, and whether the case leads to further action beyond his dismissal² remains open. The report referred to disclosures to two reporters from separate outlets over a one-year period¹.

Hegseth has also made a request of the Army chief of staff, according to one account⁸. Further personnel moves on the Joint Staff^2,3 would show how far the shake-up extends inside the department’s planning ranks.