Former US general investigated over alleged leaks on Ukraine, Iran: Report

A former senior US military official is under federal investigation over allegations that he leaked classified information about Ukraine and Iran to journalists, Axios reported Tuesday.

Former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who served as the Pentagon’s top military planner, faces a possible court-martial following his dismissal last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the report.

Sylvia was dismissed as part of the administration’s crackdown on unauthorized disclosures.

According to an internal Pentagon report cited by Axios, Sylvia allegedly failed four polygraph tests and acknowledged the incidents during two video-recorded interviews lasting more than two hours.

Investigators reportedly said that Sylvia shared sensitive information with Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Gordon, including details of US military assistance to Ukraine, ammunition stockpiles and high-level discussions concerning Iran.

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The report alleged that Sylvia used notes taken while reviewing a classified document to brief Gordon on US assistance to Ukraine, despite lacking authorization to disclose its contents.

Sylvia also allegedly deleted an entire message thread with Gordon on the encrypted messaging application Signal after receiving a message he believed concerned Iran.

“He believed he deleted the entire message thread with Michael Gordon,” the Pentagon report said, adding that the action erased messages and calls stored on his personal phone.

According to the report, Sylvia also held at least one unauthorized discussion with New York Times reporter Greg Jaffe about Hegseth’s removal of senior military leaders.

Citing a source, Axios reported that Sylvia’s dismissal marked only the beginning of the accountability process.

“The president (Donald Trump) has no tolerance for leakers,” the source was quoted as saying.

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