New leadership picks for Cyber Command, NSA coming soon amid broader decision on structure

Weeks after the ouster of the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, the Trump administration could begin installing new leadership atop both entities as soon as this week, according to multiple sources.

President Donald Trump surprised many last month when he ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire Gen. Timothy Haugh, who helmed both organizations, as well as his civilian deputy at NSA, Wendy Noble. Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed credit for the dismissals.

Now, the administration could name Noble’s replacement in the coming days, or at least before the Memorial Day holiday, according to multiple military, civilian and congressional sources with knowledge of the search. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the pending personnel moves.

An announcement on the NSA civilian position, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, would instigate a series of decisions with potentially long-lasting ramifications for the spy agency and the military command, including the future of the “dual-hat” leadership structure that has governed the two organizations.

Sources said that after the NSA deputy director is named, the administration would examine the dual-hat, which has been in place since Cyber Command was established in 2010.

A handful of political appointees at the Pentagon tried to end the dual-hat weeks before the end of Trump's first term but ultimately were rebuffed by military leaders. The desire to sever it quickly resurfaced after last year’s election.

Thanks to a previous defense policy bill, a split can’t happen unless the Defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman jointly certify that such a move won’t hinder the effectiveness of Cyber Command.

Hegseth has vowed that he would end the “debate” about the policy. However, recently confirmed Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine wrote that the dual-hat should be kept because it “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.”

Lt. Gen. William Hartman, the deputy at Cyber Command who is leading it and NSA on an acting basis, has also endorsed the current setup. He testifies later this week before two House Armed Services subcommittees.

“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,” Hartman told the Senate Armed Services cyber subcommittee in April.

After the examination, the White House would then have two choices, according to sources: Nominate a military officer to lead both organizations, if the arrangement is maintained, or choose only a leader for Cyber Command, if a split occurs and the role is knocked down to requiring three stars instead of four. The dual-hat position has always been held by a four-star officer.

The debate would be impacted by Hegseth’s recent order for a minimum 20% reduction of four-star generals and admirals across the military, the sources said.

It is unclear what Hartman's role would be if the dual-hat is split.

The NSA declined to comment. Cyber Command did not respond to a request for comment.

Potential NSA deputy picks

A handful of names have surfaced to be NSA’s top civilian leader, though the number of possible contenders is likely much larger.

Since the responsibilities of Cyber Command and NSA are so great, the deputy chief is responsible for overseeing much of the agency’s day-to-day surveillance and digital espionage operations and serves as a filter to provide only the most critical information to the director.

One possible pick is Joe Francescon, according to sources. He is a former NSA analyst who also served on Trump’s first National Security Council and held a variety of Defense Department leadership posts, including deputy chief of staff.

More recently, he served on the three-person landing team for the Trump administration at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Another candidate is Trae Stephens, the co-founder and executive chairman of dronemaker Anduril. Stephens, who has experience in the clandestine community, has been considered for a few Pentagon positions since Trump’s victory last year.

Michael Ellis, whom Trump announced in February to serve as the deputy director of the CIA, is also said to be a possibility for the NSA role.

Ellis, a former top aide to Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, is viewed as another loyalist for the president. His appointment to be NSA’s top lawyer in the waning days of Trump’s first term, and benching by the Biden White House, sparked controversy that was eventually settled by a Pentagon watchdog report.

Ezra Cohen, who served in the first Trump administration and was part of the group that made the eleventh-hour push to sever the dual-hat, has also been mentioned for the role, sources said.

Cohen, who works at Oracle and whose name has bubbled up for multiple administration roles in the past, is viewed as a fierce Trump loyalist. He has applauded the administration’s national security decisions on social media and celebrated when Haugh and Noble were fired, claiming it was time to end the dual-hat.

Any eventual pick could be named NSA’s first-ever civilian director in its nearly 73-year history, should a separation occur. And it would likely mean two separate Senate confirmations.

The pool for Cyber Command

Less is known about possible military officers who could take the reins of the both agencies, or a slightly demoted Cyber Command, following Hegseth’s recent edict and Trump’s preference for generals he perceives as “tough” — like Caine, a three-star who came out of retirement for the Joint Chiefs post.

Sources insist Hartman, who has a long history at the command and led its elite Cyber National Mission Force, could get the nod if he convinces the commander-in-chief he will be aggressive against foreign adversaries, especially China, in the digital domain.

One name that has gained momentum recently is Lt. Gen. Richard Angle. He is the commander of Allied Special Operations Forces Command at NATO and Special Operations Command Europe.

Angle's career has a foundation in intelligence, though not as much as previous Cyber Command heads. Most notably, he served as deputy chief of Joint Special Operations Command and deputy commanding general for operations at U.S. Army Cyber Command.

Angle “is a solid officer,” a former U.S. official told Recorded Future News. “He's got a ton of experience with multiple deployments doing things like generating access. He understands signals intelligence.”

In addition, if the dual-hat ends, “there's still going to need to be some type of symbiotic relationship between NSA doing their foreign intelligence mission and then feeding intel to CYBERCOM to execute operations. He's a great pick to be able to keep the relationship,” the former official said.

The other name churning through the rumor mill is Lt. Gen. John Brennan, Jr. He is currently the No. 2 at U.S. Africa Command. Prior to that he served as both the director of operations and acting deputy chief at U.S. Special Operations Command.

Brennan (no relation to the past CIA Director John Brennan) has seen multiple combat deployments as a career special forces officer. However, he has little cyber experience.