Gravitas | American military crisis explodes as Hegseth fires yet another top general

While US President Donald Trump is facing heat over the protracted Iran war, the purge within the Pentagon is intensifying. At a time when the US is hinting at fresh strikes on Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has sacked yet another top general.

Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, who has served as the director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 2025, has now been shown the door.

Now, let’s take a brief look at his background. He graduated from the US Military Academy in 1994. Prior to his current role, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division, which is one of the US Army’s most agile and combat-ready forces. In the past, he has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple occasions.

Sylvia has also received multiple military awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal and six Bronze Star Medals.

But why was this officer fired? According to reports, he was accused of misconduct for leaking classified information related to the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war. He reportedly failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified information with the press.

Earlier in October, Trump took a rather hard line on such leaks.

Now, in September, Hegseth justified the purge by linking it to accountability. He announced that the US had slashed the number of generals, admirals and officers by 20 per cent.

Since Hegseth started his tenure less than two years ago, at least 26 generals and admirals have reportedly resigned or been pushed out.

To begin with, General Charles Brown, who was serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was fired. Hegseth had earlier hit out at his focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the military.

On the very same day, Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti was also sacked.

In November last year, the then Air Force chief, General David Allvin, also resigned amid reports that Hegseth planned to push him out.

At the peak of the Iran war in April, US Army Chief General Randy George was removed. According to reports, his refusal to block the promotion of senior officers, despite sustained pressure from Hegseth, created a rift, leading to his exit.

In the same month, Navy Secretary John Phelan also got the axe after Hegseth reportedly told Trump that he was not a team player. The delay in developing the Trump-class warships also reportedly played a role in his ouster.

Most recently, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll also resigned. He was allegedly miffed at Hegseth for firing generals responsible for modernising the Army.

With growing criticism over the scale of the military purge and the handling of the Iran war, it is clear that the pressure on Hegseth is set to escalate.