Hegseth fires top military planner for allegedly leaking classified war info, sources say

War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth has added to the pile of terminations at the Pentagon with the firing of the military's top planner, according to sources to CBS News.

A Pentagon official told CBS News that Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia had failed three polygraph tests about providing information to the press. Sylvia spent 11 months as the director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Pentagon Joint Staff.

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

The official, who spoke to CBS on the condition of anonymity, claimed Sylvia leaked classified information related to the Iran conflict as well as the Russia-Ukraine War.

Sylvia's firing was first reported by the Atlantic.

CBS said two other Pentagon sources confirmed that Sylvia's firing was related to the polygraph tests, but both said the accusations against Sylvia were untrue.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell referred to the action in a post on social media without naming Sylvia.

"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," Parnell wrote.

He said the agency took "necessary personnel action" to protect sensitive information after an "extensive" investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

"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, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action," he added.

A spokesperson for the Joint Staff had initially released a statement praising Sylvia for his 32 years of service in the military, but the spokesperson later retracted that statement.

"Upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances," the spokesperson said. "Out of respect for the servicemember and the ongoing personnel process, we will not comment further."

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President Donald Trump responded to the development by telling reporters Sylvia has "big" problems.

"We’re very much looking for leakers," he added.

"Classified information is not personal property," Parnell continued. "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."

Sylvia did not respond to the AP's requests for comment. Blaze News' attempts to contact Sylvia were unsuccessful.

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