IN THIS WEEK’S DEAD DROP RUMINT FILE: The NSA may have a new Deputy Director very soon and that could be followed by a new NSA director being named with only one hat as the debate over splitting NSA from Cyber Command continues on the Hill; Why doesn’t the president like the President’s Daily Brief; West Point honors former USSOCOM Commander General Joe Votel (Ret.); and if you think foreign espionage is bad in the U.S., you should see what’s happening in Brazil.
NSA JOB (CYBER)SECURITY: The NSA may soon have a new Deputy Director. And when we say soon, we mean like – maybe today. According to multiple sources, the rumored pick for the job is Joseph Francescan, who is currently serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combatting Terrorism. A number of other names have been circulating through the rumor mill for consideration and as we know, nothing is done til it’s done and then it could always be undone, but we’re thinking Francescan may go for the much shorter title given his roots at NSA dating back to 2008, when he worked there as a civilian. Francescan has spent the bulk of his career focused on the counterterrorism mission. Whoever eventually accepts the role will be replacing Wendy Noble, who was abruptly dismissed along with NSA Director General Timothy Haugh last month, no reason given. Both Noble and Haugh are deeply experienced. The Dead Drop isn’t in the business of offering career advice but Francescan, or whoever does land the job may want to consider negotiating some job security. Specifically, when it comes to just who gets to make the decision about when he/she can no longer serve in the role, given that a far-right activist who didn’t think that Haugh or Noble were loyal enough to the president claimed that they were “referred for firing”.
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