Trump formally taps Joshua Rudd to lead NSA, Cyber Command

"President Donald Trump formally nominated Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd to lead the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command in a dual-hatted capacity, the Defense Department said Thursday. The signals intelligence titan and combatant command have been without a permanent leader for months, after far-right activist Laura Loomer pushed for the firing of previous leader, Gen. Timothy Haugh, in April."

"Rudd, the current deputy director for Indo-Pacific Command, appears to not have previously held a military cybersecurity position, though a person familiar with his nomination said his background in a global region that includes China would align with U.S. goals to counter Chinese cyber threats. The Senate received President Donald Trump's nomination for Rudd to be promoted to general for the leadership role on Monday."

"The NSA specializes in hacking and foreign eavesdropping and is deemed a "combat support agency" that faces oversight from both the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Department. The agency has been facing waves of internal strain and lower morale across its workforce amid a mix of leadership gaps, program cuts and recent deferred resignation offers, Nextgov/FCW reported last month. It recently achieved a goal to shed around 2,000 people from its workforce this year."

President Donald Trump nominated Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd to lead the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command in a dual-hatted capacity. The agencies lacked a permanent leader for months, with Lt. Gen. William Hartman serving as acting leader after Gen. Timothy Haugh's removal. Rudd is deputy director for Indo-Pacific Command and lacks prior military cybersecurity posts, though his regional experience with China aligns with efforts to counter Chinese cyber threats. The Senate received his nomination for promotion to four-star general. The NSA conducts hacking and foreign eavesdropping, faces dual oversight, and recently shed about 2,000 positions amid morale and leadership strain.

Read at Nextgov.com