Trump has another gaffe as he misgenders fired general and warns top strategist has 'big problems'

President Donald Trump said Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia has "big problems" after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly fired the officer, who ran strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The removal leaves the Pentagon without its top planner while Trump considers new military strikes on Iran. Speaking to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base, the president referred to Sylvia as "she" and said the administration is hunting for leakers, according to The Independent.

The Atlantic first reported the dismissal. Fox News, citing a Defense Department source, says Sylvia failed three polygraph exams connected to leaks and was also accused of meeting journalists in defiance of Hegseth's limits on press contact. The Air Force OSI looked into his conduct. A defense official said no replacement has been chosen and that nobody explained the sudden move. A Joint Staff spokesperson thanked Sylvia for 32 years of service. He previously led the 101st Airborne Division until May 2025.

Sylvia is the second general pushed out of the post under Hegseth, after Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee last October. Critics describe a purge of nearly two dozen senior officers and defense leaders. Sen. Mark Kelly warned that it will take a generation to recover.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →