The Pentagon's former top military planner has been fired and is under federal investigation, and may face a court-martial for allegedly leaking to reporters from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, according to three sources familiar with the controversy.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia last week after he was accused of misconduct as part of the department's war on leaks.
Sylvia failed four polygraphs and, during more than two hours of video-recorded interviews, admitted to the incidents, according to the report shared with Axios. "The president has no tolerance for leakers, so Sylvia's termination is the first step in the accountability process, not the last," one of the sources said.
Sources familiar with the controversy said that starting in the fall of 2025, Sylvia gave information without authorization to Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Gordon and New York Times reporter Greg Jaffe. Neither reporter is suspected or accused of doing anything illegal, improper or unprofessional.
Sylvia admitted to more extensive contacts with Gordon in 2025 and 2026, during which the general allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran, the report said. The Justice Department is investigating that. Only one discussion with Jaffe appears in the report, concerning Hegseth's unexplained purging of military leaders. Sources said the unauthorized communication potentially violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's prohibition of "conduct unbecoming of an officer."
Sources said Sylvia allegedly admitted to first disclosing information to Gordon in fall 2025 when the two met in the Pentagon and discussed unspecified information about Ukraine. The report said that after the Wall Street Journal and other outlets were barred from the Pentagon, Sylvia met Gordon at the Silver Diner in Arlington, Va., to give information about a book the reporter was planning.
"Major General Sylvia relied on notes he took while reviewing a classified secret report to orally brief Gordon on assistance to Ukraine," the report said, emphasizing that Sylvia did not receive clearance to discuss the sensitive information. A separate legal analysis alleged that the general also discussed "munitions stockpiles and high-level interagency discussions with Iran" that were classified, according to a source briefed on the document.
Sometime in June or July, Gordon sent Sylvia a message on the encrypted app Signal, the report said. "Sylvia is unable to recall exactly what was in that message," the report noted, "but he believed it had something to do with Iran. He stated that he did not respond to the message and instead deleted it." Sylvia allegedly told military investigators that "he believed he deleted the entire message thread with Michael Gordon. This erased Signal messages and Signal phone calls that would have been recorded in Signal on [Sylvia's] personal phone."
The report said Sylvia "indicated multiple times he was comfortable with what he told Gordon about Ukraine assistance" without elaborating.
The case has caused friction within the Pentagon after the Joint Staff initially issued a positive statement about Sylvia immediately after his termination. The Joint Staff retracted it after senior Defense Department officials sent word that Sylvia had been fired for allegedly leaking. A source familiar with the investigation said the Joint Staff should have known better. "You don't get four polygraphs deep without the head of the Joint Staff being briefed at some point. Why wasn't he flagged, what red flags flared up?" the source said. "Their first statement, they gave him a farewell — you know, 'We wish you well in your future endeavors' — and had to retract that information after the truth came out. So there's a level of culpability within the Joint Staff that I think is a critical part of this they need to answer for."
The Joint Staff declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal declined to comment. Sylvia could not be reached for comment. The Defense Department referred Axios to a statement by Assistant Defense Secretary Sean Parnell, who said last week that "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."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Signals the Trump administration's aggressive stance on leaks, with senior military officials facing rare court-martial proceedings.
- Raises questions about internal Pentagon oversight, as the Joint Staff initially appeared unaware of the investigation before issuing a farewell statement.
- Could chill reporting on national security issues, as two major outlets are drawn into a leak investigation involving a top general.
Background
Sylvia was the Pentagon's top military planner. His firing comes amid a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on unauthorized disclosures to the media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously barred certain outlets from the Pentagon. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits "conduct unbecoming of an officer," which sources say Sylvia may have violated.
Key Perspectives
Pentagon official (source familiar): Termination is "the first step in the accountability process, not the last."
Pentagon source on Joint Staff friction: "You don't get four polygraphs deep without the head of the Joint Staff being briefed at some point. Why wasn't he flagged...?"
Assistant Defense Secretary Sean Parnell: "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."
What to Watch
- Whether the Justice Department brings charges for the alleged disclosure of classified information about Ukraine and Iran.
- Pentagon internal review of Joint Staff oversight and whether senior officers face consequences for failing to flag the investigation earlier.
- Sylvia's court-martial proceedings and any public testimony that could reveal more about the scope of alleged leaks.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedBrett Sylvia was fired after being accused of misconduct as part of the Pentagon’s war on leaks.Axios: “Former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after being accused of misconduct as part of the department's war on leaks.”
- SupportedSylvia is under federal investigation and may face a court-martial over alleged leaks to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.Axios: “The Pentagon's former top military planner is under federal investigation and may face a court-martial for allegedly leaking to reporters from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, according to three sources familiar with the controversy.”
- SupportedThe report says Sylvia failed four polygraphs.Axios: “Sylvia failed four polygraphs and admitted to the incidents during two interviews on video that lasted more than a total of two hours, according to details from an internal Pentagon report shared with Axios.”
- SupportedSylvia admitted to incidents during video interviews that lasted more than two hours in total.Axios: “Sylvia failed four polygraphs and admitted to the incidents during two interviews on video that lasted more than a total of two hours, according to details from an internal Pentagon report shared with Axios.”
- SupportedA source said, “The president has no tolerance for leakers, so Sylvia's termination is the first step in the accountability process, not the last.”Axios: “"The president has no tolerance for leakers, so Sylvia's termination is the first step in the accountability process, not the last," one of the sources said.”
- SupportedSources said Sylvia began giving unauthorized information to Michael Gordon and Greg Jaffe in fall 2025.Axios: “Starting in the fall of 2025, the sources said, Sylvia gave information without authorization to reporters Michael Gordon of the Wall Street Journal and Greg Jaffe of the New York Times.”
- SupportedNeither reporter is suspected or accused of illegal, improper or unprofessional conduct in their reporting.Axios: “Neither reporter is suspected or accused of doing anything illegal, improper or unprofessional in their reporting.”
- SupportedThe report says Sylvia had more extensive contacts with Gordon in 2025 and 2026, during which he allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran.Axios: “The report states Sylvia admitted to more extensive contacts with Gordon in 2025 and 2026, when the general allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran with the reporter.”
- SupportedThe report contains only one discussion with Jaffe, concerning Hegseth’s unexplained purging of military leaders.Axios: “Only one discussion with Jaffe appears in the investigative report, concerning Hegseth's unexplained purging of military leaders.”
- SupportedThe report says Sylvia used notes from a classified secret report to orally brief Gordon on assistance to Ukraine.Axios: “"Major General Sylvia relied on notes he took while reviewing a classified secret report to orally brief Gordon on assistance to Ukraine," said the report, which emphasized that Sylvia didn't receive clearance to discuss the sensitive information.”
- SupportedA source briefed on a separate legal analysis said it alleged Sylvia discussed classified munitions stockpiles and high-level interagency discussions with Iran.Axios: “A separate legal analysis of Sylvia's conduct alleged that the general also discussed "munitions stockpiles and high-level interagency discussions with Iran" that were classified, according to a source briefed on the document.”
- SupportedA source familiar with the investigation said the Joint Staff should have known better.Axios: “A source familiar with the investigation said the Joint Staff should have known better.”