US fires top military planner in latest ouster: reports

The United States has reportedly fired Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, a top military planner, in a surprise shake-up amid President Donald Trump's efforts to resume large-scale strikes against Iran. Sylvia was removed from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, a top Pentagon body that handles planning and other issues.

The Joint Staff initially confirmed Sylvia's departure but later withdrew the statement, citing respect for the servicemember and the ongoing personnel process. Since the beginning of Trump's presidency, he has overseen a series of purges of top military personnel, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and heads of other branches of the military.

The reported sacking of Sylvia comes as Trump is believed to be weighing fresh strikes against Iran following the US midterm elections next Tuesday. Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.