Since Cybercom was created a decade ago, it has been co-located with NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland, and shared a leader. At the time, this made sense to help the nascent command grow, relying on the personnel, expertise and infrastructure of the high-tech intelligence agency. The arrangement was initially expected to be temporary.

Severing the dual-hat has been one of the most hotly contested issues in cyber policy. Proponents believe the military can benefit from the unique intelligence insights and resources of NSA, leading to faster decision-making and operational outcomes. Opponents argue the roles of NSA director and Cybercom commander are too powerful for one person to hold and relying on the intelligence community’s tools — which are meant to stay undetected — for military activities poses risks to such espionage activity.

At the end of the first Trump administration, officials made a last ditch effort to sever the dual-hat, but it ultimately was not brought to fruition. Press reports prior to Trump’s inauguration for his second term indicated the administration wanted to end the dual-hat relationship.

There “is renewed speculation about the separation of the ‘dual-hat’ relationship between Cybecom and NSA, a construct that proves its value to our national security every minute of every day. This issue has been studied exhaustively but somehow there are still those who believe they know better,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems, said in opening remarks during a hearing Friday. “I’ve spoken to my colleagues on this panel and our friends in the Senate, and on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, the Armed Services Committees are strongly opposed to ending the dual-hat relationship. I want to take this opportunity to make very clear to the Department’s leadership that if they believe they have allies on this issue who sit on the Pentagon’s congressional oversight panels, they do not.” 

Following the firing of Cybercom commander Gen. Timothy Haugh at the beginning of April, there was a feeling that the dismissal prepped the ground to split the dual-hat by nominating a civilian to lead NSA and a military officer to lead the command.

Bacon’s sentiment was shared by the subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on Friday.

“Let me reaffirm what you said about keeping our Cyber Command and NSA together. That is a bipartisan position, that is a position that we have discussed many times now, and people on this side of the aisle support you in that. It’s bicameral, it’s bipartisan. And you know, I just want to make that clear, because it keeps coming up and … because the support in the Congress is very strong for keeping the — those two departments together,” Khanna said at the hearing.

The issue was addressed on the Senate side over a month ago as well, with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., voicing support for the current arrangement.

“In wake of the various persistent cyber threats originating from the People’s Republic of China over the last two years, it is my firm conclusion that the importance of the dual-hat is as important today as it has ever been,” Rounds, chairman of the panel’s Cybersecurity Subcommittee, said during an April 9 hearing.

At that hearing, Lt. Gen. William Hartman, acting commander of Cybercom and director of NSA, told Rounds that the relationship between the two organizations allows the command to see what the adversary is doing.

“From my standpoint and senator, I’ve been sitting on the campus of the National Security Agency and Cybercom for most of the last 15 years. I’ve continued to see this partnership evolve. And our ability to execute increasingly more precise operations is fundamentally because the dual-hat allows me, in my current capacity, to move with the speed and agility and unity of effort that is required,” he said. “But it also forces leaders across the organization to collaborate, to do the hard work and to provide the best options for the national security of the country. That’s what I believe is the importance of the dual-hat, and that is really where I believe we’ve evolved.”

Concerned with the prospect of a premature split, in which Cybercom would not be ready to stand on its own, Congress has previously issued a prohibition on a breakup in leadership until certain metrics are met. They include, among others, that each organization have robust command-and-control systems for planning, deconflicting and executing military cyber operations and national intelligence operations — as well as ensuring tools and weapons used in cyber ops are sufficient for achieving required effects and that Cyber Command can acquire or develop these tools, weapons and accesses.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing for the role in April that he believes the dual-hat should be maintained, agreeing with the findings of a 2022 study that found the role should be strengthened as well.

“The Dual-Hat arrangement provides the ability to look across both organizations and has empowered both USCYBERCOM and NSA to fulfill their missions better than each could do alone. It promotes agility and enables intelligence to be operationalized rapidly,” he wrote in response to advance policy questions from senators. “It also facilitates relationships with key foreign allies and partners in part because the corresponding foreign organizations with signals intelligence (SIGINT) and cyber operations missions are fully integrated, operating under a Dual-Hat leadership structure. The span of control, does however, place a burden on one leader.”

Ahead of his own confirmation hearing in January, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote to senators that he would “bring these debates to conclusion, consult with Congress, and make final recommendation for the way ahead.”

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At press time, it still remains a public mystery why he and NSA deputy Wendy Noble (who was removed and reassigned) were fired from leading the largest intelligence agency — which produces the majority of the intel for the president’s daily brief — and the government’s main cyber warfare entity, Cybercom.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson released a statement late Friday afternoon that read: “The Defense Department thanks General Timothy Haugh for his decades of service to our nation, culminating as U.S. Cyber Command Commander and National Security Agency Director. We wish him and his family well.”

The websites of Cyber Command and NSA were updated Friday afternoon to reflect that Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman is now in charge of both organizations. Hartman had been the deputy commander of Cybercom. Although the commander is dual-hatted to lead both organizations, the deputy Cybercom commander is not part of NSA.

Those that spoke to DefenseScoop noted how rare it is for a sitting NSA director to be fired mid-term, especially absent any loss in confidence to command or a scandal. For context, the director wasn’t removed after the Snowden leaks came to light during the Obama administration.

Although the president does have the authority to remove officers like this, some observers have indicated it might not be a wise use of that power, and could create morale issues.

“I don’t recall an NSA director in recent memory being removed other than during the normal cycle,” said Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, who held positions in the Bush White House, Department of Justice and was senior counsel to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the Republican chairman Mike Rogers of Michigan. “When a well-regarded, four-star general is fired for no apparent reason — if in fact that’s what happened and even if it is legally permissible — that can have a massively detrimental impact on both ongoing operations and morale.”

Prior to taking office — and in successive confirmation hearings — Trump administration officials expressed an interesting in taking a more aggressive approach in cyberspace against adversaries in the face of high-profile intrusions of telecom firms and critical infrastructure that some say went beyond traditional espionage to prep the battlefield.

“General Tim Haugh is an outstanding leader and was doing a superb job at Cyber Command and National Security Agency. He was fired with no public explanation. This action sets back our Cyber and Signals Intelligence operations,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, the chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation and a former one-star Air Force general, said on X.

A slew of Democrat lawmakers issued statements Friday criticizing the administration’s move.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed alarm and anger regarding the decision to fire Haugh — who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to his role — and oust Noble.

“As the commander of Cyber Command, General Haugh led the most formidable cyber warfighting force in the world and kept our enemies up at night. President Trump has given a priceless gift to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea by purging competence from our national security leadership,” he said. “I have long warned about the dangers of firing military officers as a political loyalty test. In addition to the other military leaders and national security officials Trump has fired, he is sending a chilling message throughout the ranks: don’t give your best military advice, or you may face consequences. The President must immediately explain himself to the American people.”

Reed was referring to assertions that political activist Laura Loomer urged President Donald Trump to fire certain officials due to their perceived disloyalty to him and his agenda. She wrote in a social media post Thursday night that Haugh and Noble were fired for being “disloyal” to Trump. In recent weeks, Trump also fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, among other senior defense officials.

“It’s concerning, from a national security perspective, when a 9/11 truther is providing advice to the President on whether a four-star general ought keep his job as the head of the world’s premier signals intelligence agency,” Jaffer said regarding the allegations Loomer had something to do with Haugh’s ouster.

Others agreed with that sentiment.

“If this was tied to Loomer’s action, then preparing for a future war against China is taking a back seat to the fight against DEI and those perceived as not loyal enough to the regime,” said Jason Healey, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs with a deep cyber background in the government and military. Healey previously served as a founding member of the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House and worked at a U.S. military organization that was a precursor to Cybercom.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, did not respond to requests for comment.

“Silence, nothing but silence, from my once honorable colleagues in the GOP who just days ago sat with me in meetings on the Armed Services Committee praising GEN Haugh. Cowering before Trump and complicit in letting a lunatic upend their own national security team, they do nothing to stand up for our troops or our country,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., wrote on X Friday.

Top Dems on the House Armed Services Committee issued a joint statement citing their concerns.

“Under [Haugh and Noble’s] leadership, the men and women of US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency have been at the tip of the spear in defense of our country against very real cyber threats, including ransomware extortionists and actors like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon. Reports that the dismissals were due not to failure to execute their positions but, rather, being accused of being disloyal by a far-right conspiracy theorist are deeply disturbing,” said HASC ranking member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., ranking member of the CITI subcommittee and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., who has taken a keen interest in cyber issues.

Houlahan in a separate statement to DefenseScoop called the firing “inexplicable,” adding it “should leave us all feeling less safe today.”

“There have still been no consequences for anyone over the leaking of classified information over Signal – the real threat. This action—meant in some way to distract us from the Signal and gmail fiascos— to summarily remove the four-star General responsible for the National Security Agency and Cyber Command is chilling,” she said. “The American people deserve answers – now including why General Haugh was relieved of his duties. The case is not, in fact, closed.”

The post Firing of top cyber general ‘sets back’ US military and intel operations, makes America ‘less safe,’ lawmakers of both parties say appeared first on DefenseScoop.

A deep and longstanding intelligence-gathering and -sharing partnership between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Five Eyes’ roots trace back to the aftermath of World War II. 

On Nov. 15, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced the “Five AIs Act,” which would mandate a new team of officials to lead a range of activities that could help the alliance to collectively stymie their competitors’ intensifying pursuits of global, AI-driven digital dominance.

“Artificial intelligence is a transformational technology that can be harnessed for good or evil. It is imperative that we prevent our adversaries, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, from weaponizing AI to advance their military ambitions and perfect their repressive techno-totalitarian surveillance states,” Gallagher said in a statement on Tuesday.

If passed, the new 10-page legislation (provided to DefenseScoop before it was released publicly this week), would establish a “Five AIs Strategic Artificial Intelligence Working Group,” which could exist through Sept. 30, 2028.

The bill would require the U.S. secretary of defense to coordinate with the director of national intelligence to launch the new group and designate a senior civilian official from the Defense Department or a senior military officer to direct its various efforts. Members of the independent, Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council, in particular, would be encouraged to participate.

Notably, the legislation would require the working group to “identify (including by experimenting, testing, and evaluating) potential solutions to advance and accelerate the interoperability of artificial intelligence systems used for intelligence sharing, battlespace awareness, and other covered operational uses,” according to its text.

Among other responsibilities, the bill would also mandate the hub to produce a shared strategy to guide how the five nations jointly research and employ the emerging technology, and collectively leverage commercial products to advance near-term collaboration across the alliance’s militaries.  

“The Secretary of Defense shall seek to ensure that any knowledge or technical data produced by a Five Eyes country under any cooperative project carried out by the Working Group shall be controlled by that country under the export control laws and regulations of that country and shall not be subject to the jurisdiction or control of any other Five Eyes country,” the bill states.

The working group would need to be created within 90 days of the legislation’s passage — and those involved would be expected to share their official plan for it with Congress about a month before that, within 60 days of enactment.

Following its introduction, the new proposal was referred to the House Committees on Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence.

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In the letter, which was dated and delivered on Monday, CITI Chair Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Ranking Member Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., expressed “concern over the results of a recent workforce survey” conducted by the CDAO — “and, specifically, dissatisfaction with lack of empowerment and leadership.”

The lawmakers were referring to the outcome of a recent Defense Department-wide “Pulse Survey.” Among other low scores — according to presentation slides shared with DefenseScoop last month — on a scale of –100 to 100, CDAO employees’ overall average rating for the “Leadership” category of that survey was –17.

“While a survey is only a snapshot of the health of an organization, and the score for leadership was only one of several categories in the evaluation, your office was the only DOD component to score negatively,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.  Beyond that, they also noted the organization “received the lowest scores across the entire” DOD.

When news of the negative review first surfaced, Martell told DefenseScoop that his leadership team was carrying out a series of urgent moves to improve the spirit of their workplace. 

But Ghallagher and Khanna want to know more about the steps being taken.

“Modern war not only demands rapid integration of technology on the battlefield, but also the cultivation of a talented, highly skilled workforce that is properly motivated. We understand that CDAO is a new organization, but to attract and retain top-level talent your team must empower staff, lead by example, and imbue them with a sense of mission. These survey results suggest this is not currently happening,” the lawmakers wrote.

They requested that Martell brief them — no later than June 30 — about ongoing response efforts he’s steering.

Specifically, they said they want to know about work unfolding to “(1) institutionalize a lasting organizational structure, (2) clarify roles and responsibilities of the CDAO subcomponents both internally to the CDAO workforce and externally to the wider DOD, and (3) expand communications between senior leaders and the CDAO workforce.”

A CDAO spokesperson did not immediately confirm to DefenseScoop whether Martell plans to commit to providing the briefing.

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