Hegseth fires top Pentagon official as Trump plans fresh strikes on Iran

United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia from his post as the Pentagon’s top military planner, a defence official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press on Wednesday, October 28.The firing marks the latest in a series of departures from senior US military leadership positions and comes as President Donald Trump weighs the possibility of renewed strikes on Iran amid the eight-month-long war.Sylvia was serving as the head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position known within military circles as the "J5." He is the second general to be removed from the post under Hegseth.His predecessor, Lieutenant General Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October.The unnamed official cited by AP said no immediate replacement had been picked for Sylvia.They also said no reason had been given for his removal."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," a spokesperson for the Joint Staff said. They "wish him and his family the best," the official added.The J5 director and his staff typically oversee the preparation and coordination of military plans in consultation with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President. Prior to his appointment to the post, Sylvia used to command the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.In an earlier stint, he had also served as vice director of the J5, according to his now-offline official biography.Sylvia is the latest in a series of nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other senior military leaders to have been fired, forced into retirement or who have otherwise stepped down from their roles during Hegseth's tenure as Defence Secretary.The Pentagon has, so far, remained tight-lipped on almost all of these departures.Last month, Hegseth said he had ordered the military to double the planned cuts to senior-most officer ranks, targeting a 20 per cent reduction by January 1, 2027."I call it accountability and long overdue," he said during an address to service members at the Marine Corps Base Quantico.Some members of Congress have attacked the Trump administration over cuts to the ranks of generals, labelling them as a "purge" that could take years to reverse.Sylvia's removal comes as the President has repeatedly raised the possibility of launching fresh military operations against Iran.Trump has vowed to "finish the job" in Iran. He has also said that fresh strikes remain an option after next week's midterm elections.- Ends(With inputs from agencies)