Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted yet another senior officer from the Pentagon, because apparently the department's revolving door wasn't spinning fast enough. This time, the lucky winner is Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who served as Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J-5 on the Joint Staff. Two U.S. officials familiar with the situation - speaking on condition of anonymity because personnel matters are apparently too spicy for public consumption - confirmed the firing this week.

Why was Sylvia removed? Your guess is as good as ours. The Hill reached out to Hegseth's office, which promptly played hot potato and referred inquiries to the Joint Staff. The Joint Staff, in turn, offered a statement that could charitably be described as a masterclass in saying nothing while sounding grateful: "The Chairman [Gen. Dan Caine], the Joint Staff and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation. We wish him and his family the best as they graduate to new opportunities and the next chapters of their lives." Nothing says "we're totally not in turmoil" like wishing someone well on their "next chapter" after unceremoniously booting them.

For context, the J-5 is the shop that puts forward plans, policy recommendations and strategies to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, supporting "his provision of military advice across the full spectrum of national security concerns to the President and other national leaders" and ensuring those recommendations are "informed by a larger strategic context - coordinated with interagency and alliance partners - account for the view and requirements of the combatant commanders and assess risk in executing the National Military Strategy." In other words, it's a pretty important job. But sure, let's shuffle the deck chairs.

Sylvia's ouster comes at a particularly interesting time: U.S. Central Command has reportedly drawn up Iran attack plans that could take place after the November midterm elections, provided the White House gives the green light. Nothing says "strategic stability" like firing your top strategist right before potential military action. Who needs a J-5 when you've got vibes?

As for who will replace Sylvia, that remains a mystery. One U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter said it's unclear, though typically a deputy or vice director of the appropriate directorate would fill the role until the commander-in-chief nominates a replacement for Senate confirmation. So, business as usual - or at least, as usual as things get in Hegseth's Pentagon.

Sylvia's firing, first reported by The Atlantic, is just the latest in a long line of departures: Hegseth has now fired or pushed out more than two-dozen senior military officers since taking the top job. This has prompted pushback from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill - a rare bipartisan agreement that maybe, just maybe, firing everyone isn't a great strategy.

Earlier this month, Hegseth defended his plan to cut up to 20 percent of admirals and generals across the Army, Navy and Air Force, arguing they are "rank-heavy" and out of touch with troops on the ground. "With more layers and more rank comes more distance between the warfighter and the decisionmaker, and not necessarily better outcomes," he said on Oct. 1 at the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C. "In fact, there's an inverse relationship between success on the battlefield [and] the number of four- and three-star generals since World War II." Ah, yes, the classic "too many generals" problem - a bold new theory of military effectiveness.

Sylvia's predecessor, three-star general Lt. Gen. Joe McGee, retired from the post last year after having friction with Hegseth and Caine. So at least there's a pattern: if you're a top strategist, you either retire or get fired. Either way, the Pentagon's strategy shop is starting to look like a game of musical chairs - except the music is "Yakety Sax" and everyone's getting tossed out the window.