Early life
Sylvia was born on 12 September 1972, in St. Charles, Missouri, to Garrett V. "Bo" Sylvia and his wife Carol. He had an older brother, Gabriel. His father coached sports at Lindenwood College for Men and his mother taught mathematics in the public schools.
The family moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, when Brett was a freshman in high school. Sylvia excelled academically and played soccer. His senior year, he was both salutatorian at Hilton Head Island High School and South Carolina State Player of the Year in soccer. Sylvia credits his father and high school science teacher Kathy Howard for pushing him to achieve far more than he thought he was capable of.
Military career
Sylvia is a 1994 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering. He later earned a Master of Science degree in engineering management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army Command and General Staff College.
In July 2023, Sylvia assumed command of the 101st Airborne Division. In December 2024, he was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as director for strategy, plans and policy of the Joint Staff.
After being removed from his position without explanation in October 2026, Sylvia retired from the Army. An unnamed Pentagon official told CBS News and The Hill that Sylvia was removed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after allegedly failing three polygraph tests about classified information leaked to the press on the Russian-Ukraine war and the Iran war. Sylvia confessed to leaking information about the Ukraine and Iran wars to two separate reporters over a one-year period, according to a Pentagon report reviewed by Axios. An unnamed senior Pentagon official told the Washington Sun that the investigation had been referred to the Justice Department and that no further details would be provided.
Personal life
Sylvia and his wife, Lori (née Hawkins), have five children.