The director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), Timothy Haugh, was abruptly fired on Thursday, according to a report by The Washington Post, citing two current and one former US official. Haugh, who also served as the head of US Cyber Command, was dismissed alongside his deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble.
Noble has since been reassigned to a role within the Pentagon’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defence for Intelligence. No official reason has been given for the dismissals, and the Pentagon and White House have yet to respond to media requests for comment.
In the interim, William Hartmann, the deputy at US Cyber Command, has been appointed acting NSA director. Sheila Thomas, formerly the agency’s executive director, has been named acting deputy.
The decision has sparked strong criticism from senior lawmakers. Senator Mark Warner, Democratic vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, condemned the move, questioning President Trump’s decision-making and national security priorities. “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,” Warner said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). He also expressed concern that Trump may be taking national security advice from “a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.”
Democratic Representative Jim Himes also criticised the dismissal, highlighting concerns over growing instability within critical intelligence agencies.
Since assuming office on January 20, President Trump has replaced several top officials across federal agencies, often opting to install loyalists. His administration has been actively pursuing cuts and structural reforms across government departments, a task being spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Notably, Musk visited the NSA last month to meet with Haugh as part of that broader initiative.
The NSA, a key component of the US intelligence community, operates under the Department of Defence and plays a vital role in intelligence gathering and cybersecurity operations. Alongside it, US Cyber Command handles both offensive and defensive cyber operations, monitoring Department of Defence networks and safeguarding national security.
The firings have raised serious questions about the direction of USintelligence leadership at a time when global cyber threats and internal leaks remain pressing concerns.
Melissa Enoch
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