Hesseth fires top Pentagon military planner as Trump mulls renewed Iran strikes US Secretary of War Pete Hesseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a war official said Wednesday, in the latest in a string of top generals being ousted as US President Donald Trump considers launching new strikes on Iran. Army Lt. Gen. Brett Silvia has been removed from his role as director of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known within the military as "J5." He is the second officer to be removed from his post under Gest. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025. The war official told the AP that no immediate successor had been named and no explanation given for Silvas' ouster. The Atlantic first reported the layoffs. The J5 director and staff typically develop and coordinate military plans with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president. The removal of Silvas comes as Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of launching new military operations against Iran.

Hesseth fires top Pentagon military planner as Trump mulls renewed Iran strikes US Secretary of War Pete Hesseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a war official said Wednesday, in the latest in a string of top generals being ousted as US President Donald Trump considers launching new strikes on Iran. Army Lt. Gen. Brett Silvia has been removed from his role as director of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known within the military as "J5." He is the second officer to be removed from his post under Gest. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025. The war official told the AP that no immediate successor had been named and no explanation given for Silvas' ouster. The Atlantic first reported the layoffs. The J5 director and staff typically develop and coordinate military plans with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president. The removal of Silvas comes as Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of launching new military operations against Iran.