At least 26 generals and admirals have departed or been removed from the Pentagon since Pete Hegseth became Defense Secretary, and the latest casualty is one of the military’s most consequential planning roles.
Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, who directed the Joint Staff’s J-5 directorate covering strategy, plans, and policy, was dismissed this week, according to two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the situation.
No official reason was given for the removal, and the Pentagon has yet to publicly name a replacement for the position Sylvia held.
The J-5 directorate sits at the center of America’s military planning architecture, preparing strategy and policy recommendations for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and advising senior officials on everything from interagency coordination to alliance management and the risks embedded in the National Military Strategy.
Sylvia, who previously led the U.S. Army’s storied 101st Airborne Division, brought 32 years of uniformed service to the role before his abrupt exit.
The timing of his departure has drawn pointed concern from those who know the job best, with one former Joint Chiefs official warning that “now is not the time when you’d want to lose the J5.”
That same former official described the director as “a critical link between the operational force, the department policy, and the White House,” underscoring how much institutional weight the position carries.
Pentagon sources indicated to The Atlantic that Hegseth had lost confidence in Sylvia and that the general had developed a strained working relationship with Elbridge Colby, the department’s senior civilian policy official.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a statement through a Joint Staff spokesperson acknowledging Sylvia’s three-decade contribution, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Joint Staff and the Joint Force.
Sylvia’s removal is particularly striking because he is the second J-5 director to be forced out within roughly a year, following his predecessor, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, who was also pushed into retirement.
Under standard procedure, the deputy or vice director of the J-5 assumes the directorate’s responsibilities on an acting basis until the president nominates a permanent successor requiring Senate confirmation.
The broader pattern of departures under Hegseth has reshaped the Pentagon’s senior uniformed ranks, with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George among those forced out during the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
General David Hodne, who commanded the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green Jr., who led the Army Chaplain Corps, also departed in the wave of changes.
Critics argue that the sustained removal of experienced strategic planners hollows out the institutional expertise needed to manage complex, simultaneous global challenges at a moment of elevated risk.
Whether Hegseth moves quickly to fill the J-5 vacancy or allows it to remain in acting status for an extended period will be closely watched as a signal of how the administration intends to manage its most sensitive military planning functions.
