Hegseth fires general responsible for strategic planning of the General Staff amid tension with Iran
Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, head of J5, is the target of investigation for leaking classified information, while the US maintains a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM FOX BUSINESS · 3 MIN
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fired the general responsible for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, known as J5. According to Fox Business correspondent Jennifer Griffin, the Pentagon is losing one of its top strategic planners at a time when the country is blocking the Strait of Hormuz and preparing for possible orders to resume a bombing campaign against Iran.
Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division and received the Bronze Star for bravery, is the second incumbent fired by Hegseth in the past 18 months. According to the report, he questioned the war plans against Iran and clashed with civilian leaders over policy towards Ukraine. One source claims he has been away from decisions since the spring.
Leak accusation and referral to the Department of Justice
In a statement, a senior Pentagon official said that Sylvia is the target of investigation for leaking classified information about the war with Iran, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and other topics, in meetings with journalists outside the Pentagon. According to the official, the general failed three polygraph tests, and the case was sent to the Department of Justice. The report does not detail any evidence and does not include a statement from Sylvia.
Commenting on the case, President Donald Trump mistakenly referred to the general as a woman and said: "She's got problems. She's going to have big problems." According to the report, it is unclear why the Pentagon bypassed military justice and took the investigation directly to the Department of Justice.
Military movement and diplomacy
A third American aircraft carrier strike group ended previously planned joint exercises in the Philippine Sea today. The USS Theodore Roosevelt, with about 7,000 sailors on board, is expected to be in the Middle East in a week to 10 days. Senator Chris Murphy, who said he had been briefed on the war plan with other lawmakers, called it "insane" and said it would lead to a "devastating escalation."
At the same time, according to the Wall Street Journal, Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to the hard-line leader of Iran's Supreme National Security Council in a last-minute attempt to revive peace talks. Today, at the White House, Trump met with the commander of Central Command, Brad Cooper, and General Dan Caine, who also briefed the vice president on military matters.
What does this mean for the market
The dismissal comes, according to the report, before what many speculate could be new operations against Iran after the election. For investors, the episode reinforces the geopolitical risk premium: the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, the central route for global oil, and the possibility of military escalation tend to put pressure on energy prices, inflation and, consequently, interest rate expectations and risk appetite on stock exchanges and exchange rates, including in Brazil.
The transcript does not contain market data, and the outcome will depend both on the progress of the investigation and on the evolution of diplomatic negotiations and military decisions in the coming days.
Automatically translated from Portuguese.
