A top general at the Pentagon was suddenly removed from his senior post earlier this week and has now retired, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia served in the Joint Staff as the Joint Staff’s Director for Strategy, Plans & Policy, an important office, that handles long-term strategic planning and is known in military jargon as the J-5.
This photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, at a 101st Airborne Division change of command ceremony at Fort Campbell, Ky., May 30, 2025.
Sgt. Timothy Jackson/U.S. Army via AP
Sylvia was removed from the position for a lack of confidence, according to one of the sources. With his removal Sylvia retired from the U.S. Army after having served in the role for 11 months.
Sylvia becomes the latest senior military officer to be either fired or sidelined during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure. However, one source said it was unclear whether Sylvia’s removal was ordered by Hegseth or Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The Chairman, the Joint Staff, and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation,” said a Joint Staff spokesperson.
“We wish him and his family the best as they graduate to new opportunities and the next chapters of their lives,” the spokesman added.
Earlier this week, Sylvia was listed as still being the director of the planning office on the Joint Staff’s website, but the website now lists only the name of Vice Director Maj. Gen. Mark H. Slocum.
The J-5 is recognized as one of the Joint Staff’s most important directorates in the Joint Staff along with the directorate for Operations, the J-3, that is responsible for the planning and execution of military operations.
Last year, two prominent Army generals serving on the Joint Staff were sidelined and had to retire early, including Sylvia’s immediate predecessor as the J-5, Lt. Gen. Joseph “JP” McGee, who retired last October.
McGee had been nominated under the Biden administration to become the director of the Joint Staff, but he was not renominated by the Trump administration. With no other slots available to him as a three or four star general he had to retire.
Also retiring early last year was Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, who was widely expected to be on track for a fourth star.
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