Timothy Haugh, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), was dismissed on Thursday along with his deputy, Wendy Noble, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Citing two current and one former U.S. official, the report stated that Timothy Haugh, who also led U.S. Cyber Command, was fired, while Noble was reassigned to a position within the Pentagon’s office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
The NSA, which operates under the U.S. Defense Department, has not provided an official reason for Timothy Haugh’s removal or Noble’s reassignment.
Interim leadership announced
William Hartmann, deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, has been named acting NSA director, while Sheila Thomas, the NSA’s executive director, has been appointed as acting deputy director, the report added.
Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has responded to requests for comment.
Political backlash
The decision drew sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Jim Himes and Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“It is astonishing that President Trump would fire the nonpartisan, experienced leader of the NSA while still failing to hold any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app—even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office,” Warner posted on X.
Trump administration’s restructuring efforts
Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has dismissed multiple top officials across U.S. agencies, replacing them with loyalists.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is spearheading the Trump administration’s initiative to streamline the federal workforce, visited the NSA last month to meet with Timothy Haugh.
Role of NSA and U.S. Cyber Command
The NSA is one of the country’s premier intelligence agencies, utilizing cutting-edge technology to collect and analyze intelligence. Meanwhile, U.S. Cyber Command is responsible for offensive and defensive operations, as well as monitoring Department of Defense networks.