Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s top strategy planner, was fired this week amid allegations of severe misconduct and disclosures to journalists. The removal adds another senior officer to a growing list of military leaders forced from their posts.

A Pentagon official told Task & Purpose that War Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Sylvia “for severe misconduct” this week. The official said Sylvia is under investigation for providing information to the press about the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Atlantic first reported Sylvia’s departure Wednesday. The Pentagon official also directed Task & Purpose to a Thursday statement on X from Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell.

Parnell’s statement did not name Sylvia or explicitly mention the firing. He wrote that the Department of War “took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information.” He said the Air Force Office of Special Investigations conducted an investigation.

“To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action,” Parnell said. “This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action.”

Sylvia served as director for strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs, a role known as J5. That office matches Pentagon policy with the operational force and helps shape the department’s long term military strategy.

No replacement or interim J5 had been named as of Thursday morning, leaving the president’s top military advisers without a lead planner during an active conflict. The Joint Chiefs are uniformed officers from across the services who advise the president, Secretary of War and National Security Council.

The Pentagon official alleged that Sylvia met journalists outside the building because of a new press policy instituted this year. The official also alleged that Sylvia failed three polygraph tests involving questions about the disclosure of classified information.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon press corps declined to sign the new policy, which required escorts and raised the risk of legal action against journalists and outlets publishing information not officially approved by the War Department. The policy marked a major change from the prior requirements for obtaining a press pass, and Task & Purpose was among the publications that declined to sign.

Sylvia is the latest senior military figure to be forced out. His predecessor, Army Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, retired last fall after reported disputes with Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. John Daniel Caine.

Last year, Air Force Gen. Charles CQ Brown was fired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Other leaders removed included Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, and the heads of Naval Special Warfare Command and the Navy Reserve.

This year, top Army leaders forced out included then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Gen. Christopher Donahue. Donahue had led the 82nd Airborne Division before commanding U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

Before joining the Joint Chiefs in this role, Sylvia served as a special assistant to Army Chief of Staff Gen. George. He previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where the unit was among the first selected for the Army’s modernization overhaul and was outfitted to test new technology and formations for large scale, modern combat.

Sylvia also served as vice director for J5 and as deputy commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. That service included the unit’s deployment to Poland for Operation Atlantic Resolve.

A Joint Chiefs spokesperson declined further discussion, saying, “Out of respect for the service member and the ongoing personnel process, we will not comment further.”

The firing comes while the United States remains at war with Iran and President Donald Trump repeatedly discusses renewing the conflict after next week’s midterm elections. It also comes amid ongoing air campaigns against militants in Somalia and an expanding military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America.