The director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and head of U.S. Cyber Command, General Timothy Haugh, was dismissed from his position on Thursday, according to reports from the Washington Post.
Along with Haugh's removal, his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, was reassigned to a position within the Pentagon's office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
William Hartmann, the U.S. Cyber Command deputy, has been named acting NSA director, while Sheila Thomas, previously the NSA's executive director, will serve as acting deputy.
The exact reasons behind Haugh's dismissal and Noble's reassignment remain unclear, according to current and former U.S. officials cited in the report. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has provided immediate comment on these leadership changes.
Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed strong concerns about Haugh's removal. "I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first," Himes stated, calling for an immediate explanation of the decision.
Haugh had only assumed his dual role as NSA Director and Cyber Command chief in February 2024. The NSA, operating as part of the U.S. Defense Department, serves as one of the nation's primary intelligence agencies, specializing in advanced technology and systems for intelligence collection and analysis. U.S. Cyber Command maintains responsibility for both defensive and offensive operations while overseeing Department of Defense networks.
The leadership shake-up follows a recent visit to the NSA by Elon Musk, who leads the administration's initiative to restructure federal government workforce operations.