Gen. Sylvia Admitted He Leaked & Is in the Hands of the DOJ

Fired Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, who served as director of the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admitted to leaking classified information, according to the Pentagon’s internal investigation.

Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia leaked classified U.S. military information about the Iran war, the Russia‑Ukraine war, and U.S. assistance to Ukraine, sharing details with journalists over roughly a year through encrypted messages, in‑person meetings, and notes from classified reports.

Sylvia further “admitted to being one of the 20 officials” attacking the Pentagon’s leadership under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and President Trump.

Multiple investigations and reports indicate that Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia disclosed:

• Classified operational details about the Iran war
• Sensitive information on the Russia–Ukraine war
• Details on U.S. assistance to Ukraine, including information taken from a classified report and shared orally with a journalist at a diner in Arlington, Virginia
• Additional classified matters related to Pentagon planning and internal assessments

According to internal investigations:

• Sylvia communicated with reporters via Signal, an encrypted messaging app.
• He held in‑person meetings with at least one journalist, including at a Silver Diner after the reporter’s Pentagon access was revoked.
• Sylvia used notes from classified documents to brief a journalist verbally.

Sylvia didn’t admit it easily. Allegedly, he first had to fail three or four polygraph tests. Investigators also suspect he deleted Signal message threads to hide communications.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Sylvia for “severe misconduct” and unauthorized disclosures. He was also referred to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation, as an investigation into his leaks remains ongoing.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell’s social media statement on Sylvia’s firing when asked for comment:

The Department of War has zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Anyone who compromises sensitive national security information puts the lives of our Warriors at risk and undermines every military operation that keeps our country safe.

Following an extensive Air Force OSI investigation, the Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information. To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further comment will be made regarding the individual or the circumstances of this action.

This matter, along with others, has been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action.

Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political, or professional gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it.

Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.

He should have just quit. Sylvia can be charged under the Espionage Act.

 

Image: Wikimedia Commons