Fired Pentagon Planner Could Face Court-Martial Over Alleged Leaks to WSJ and NYT Reporters

The Pentagon’s former top military planner is under federal investigation and could face a court-martial for allegedly leaking to reporters at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, Axios reported Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia last week after he was accused of misconduct as part of the department’s crackdown on leaks, Axios reported, citing three sources familiar with the case.

Starting in fall 2025, the sources said, Sylvia gave information without authorization to Michael Gordon of the Wall Street Journal and Greg Jaffe of the New York Times. Neither reporter has been accused of wrongdoing.

An internal Pentagon report says Sylvia admitted to more extensive contacts with Gordon in 2025 and 2026, when the general allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran. The Justice Department is investigating.

Sylvia allegedly first shared information with Gordon in fall 2025, when the two met at the Pentagon and discussed Ukraine. Then, “sometime in June or July,” Gordon messaged Sylvia on the encrypted Signal app, the report said.

Sylvia had served as director for strategy for the Joint Chiefs under Gen. Dan Caine. He allegedly discussed munitions stockpiles and classified “high-level interagency discussions with Iran,” Mediaite reported, citing Axios.

Four Failed Polygraphs

Last week, Axios reported that Sylvia admitted the leaks on video after failing four polygraph tests, according to a U.S. official. His two videotaped interviews lasted more than two hours in total, according to the internal report.

U.S. officials told Axios that the leaking continued after mainstream outlets were removed from the Pentagon, including once at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia. Officials suspect he deliberately deleted Signal messages with one reporter and claimed it was an accident, Axios reported.

The case has caused friction inside the Pentagon. The Joint Staff first issued a warm farewell, thanking Sylvia for “32 years of distinguished service to our nation.”

A Joint Chiefs spokesman later withdrew it. “Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances,” the spokesman told Mediaite.

“You don’t get four polygraphs deep without the head of the Joint Staff being briefed at some point,” one source told Axios. “Why wasn’t he flagged, what red flags flared up?”

The source said there is “a level of culpability within the Joint Staff” that leaders need to answer for.

A U.S. official told Axios that Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle’s office had lobbied the Joint Staff to issue the supportive statement “to minimize the damage about any future claims of him leaking classified information.”

Sylvia, 54, is the fifth general Hegseth has ousted. He was referred for criminal prosecution last week, IBTimes reported.

The Joint Staff declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department. Sylvia did not respond to Axios’ earlier requests for comment.

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