US sacks top military planner Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, The Atlantic reports

WASHINGTON: The United States has sacked its top military planner, Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, US magazine The Atlantic reported on Wednesday. According to The Express Tribune, the news comes as President Donald Trump appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes on Iran.

Citing unnamed Department of Defence officials, the magazine said Sylvia was removed this week as head of strategy, planning and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No reason was given for the dismissal, and no successor has been announced.

Sylvia previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division, the US Army’s air assault division. He also led a unit in Iraq.

It is the latest exit of a senior military officer since Trump returned to power a year ago. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last month that the number of generals and admirals had been cut by 20 per cent, which he described as an effort at accountability. He indicated that the cuts targeted officers who were not supporting his efforts to keep the military focused on fighting capability.

According to the report, Trump is believed to be considering fresh strikes on Iran after the 3 November midterm elections. Last week he said, “We may do another little Epic Fury.” This referred to the US and Israeli strikes on Tehran in February that started the war.

Since early September, neither the United States nor Iran has carried out any major attack on targets on land. Both have limited themselves to targeting commercial ships.