US Army Lt. Gen.
Brett Sylvia, who was dismissed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week, admitted to sharing classified information about Iran and Ukraine with two journalists over a period of roughly one year, according to an internal Pentagon investigation report by Axios.
US officials suspect the deletion may have been intentional, Axios reported. The report also said Sylvia acknowledged being one of 20 officials cited in a media report critical of Pentagon leadership.
In July, the Defense Department announced a joint task force with the Justice Department to identify Pentagon leakers. The report accused Sylvia, the Pentagon ‘s top military planner, of making unauthorized disclosures to the media beginning as early as June 2025. Some of the exchanges took place through the encrypted messaging application Signal. The report also described an in-person meeting at a Silver Diner in Arlington, Virginia , after one reporter’s access to the Pentagon was revoked. During the meeting, Sylvia allegedly relied on notes he had taken while reviewing a classified secret report to orally share information about US assistance to Ukraine. Investigators also examined the deletion of Signal communications between Sylvia and one of the journalists. However, an Army official disputed the account, saying Telle and his office had not advocated for any statement supporting the general. The official described the allegations as part of a coordinated campaign of false claims. Sylvia did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Axios. Sylvia’s dismissal comes amid the Pentagon’s wider efforts to investigate unauthorized disclosures to the media. It also directed the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel to prioritize prosecutions involving unauthorized disclosures.
A US official told Axios that Sylvia acknowledged the disclosures on video after failing four polygraph tests during the investigation. The findings said the general cooperated with investigators, answered questions about his interactions with journalists and provided his personal phone for a forensic examination. Sylvia communicated with two reporters from separate media outlets, sharing information about US assistance to Ukraine and discussions concerning Iran , according to the investigation report. The report said he did not coordinate the meetings with the Pentagon’s Public Affairs Office or seek clearance before providing the information to the reporter. Sylvia received a message, possibly concerning Iran, but could not recall its exact contents, according to the report. He said he deleted the message and believed he had accidentally erased the entire conversation thread, including messages and phone calls. A separate US official told Axios that Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and his office had lobbied the Joint Staff to issue a statement supporting Sylvia, allegedly to limit the damage from possible future disclosures about the investigation .
The department’s earlier restrictions on defense reporters prompted several journalists and media organizations to surrender their Pentagon press credentials.
