Disentangling the NSA and Cyber Command

In 2013, former President Barack Obama was close to ending the “dual-hat” leadership of both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, only to be dissuaded by senior officials arguing the close integration with the NSA continued to be necessary for the maturation of the then only 4-year-old Cyber Command. Prior to leaving their posts in the Obama Administration, former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper again argued for the clean separation of the NSA and Cyber Command.

In turn, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, vehemently criticized the push to end the dual-hat leadership role on the eve of the incoming Trump Administration, saying “if a decision is prematurely made to separate NSA and Cyber Command I will object to the confirmation of any individual nominated by the president to replace the director of the National Security Agency if that person is not also nominated to be the commander of Cyber Command.” At the same time, Admiral Mike Rogers, the current head of both the NSA and Cyber Command, has pushed against separating the roles entirely at this point, but acknowledges that the split will take place eventually with the two continuing to work closely with one another.

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