Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Defense officials look at splitting up NSA, CYBERCOM

Defense officials look at splitting up NSA, CYBERCOM

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith pushed back on the split, saying it is 'contrary to law'

Top Defense officials are considering breaking the National Security Agency (NSA) away from the Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), a move that the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said made him "profoundly concerned."

Rep. Adam Smith, D- Wash., sent a letter to acting Department of Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, objecting to the department’s attempts to separate the security commands "without consulting Congress or meeting the conditions required by law."

The NSA and CYBERCOM work closely together under the Department of Defense, and are both overseen by four star Gen. Paul M. Nakasone.

The push to separate them during President Trump’s final days in office, is the latest move by the Trump administration to shake up the Pentagon.

Miller was named acting secretary in early November, after Trump unexpectedly sacked Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Esper had condemned the use of the Insurrection Act during nationwide protests this summer. The 1807 Act would have allowed Trump to deploy National Guard troops within the U.S.

Miller continued the Pentagon shake-up by hiring loyal Trump officials and firing head of the Pentagon’s Defeat ISIS Task Force Christopher P. Maier, earlier this month. The U.S. also withdrew thousands of troops from the Middle East and Africa.

Smith’s letter Thursday condemned not only the apparent method considered for the cyber defense split, but the timing.

"Any action to sever the dual-hat relationship could have grave impacts on our national security, especially during a time that the country is wrestling with what may be the most damaging cyber-attack in our country’s history," he wrote in his letter to Miller and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley.

Cybersecurity officials in the U.S. currently are addressing a high level breach that compromised federal agencies’ "critical infrastructure," according the Department of Homeland Security earlier this week.

The department has not revealed which agencies were targeted or the extent of the breach, only noting the "threat poses a grave risk to the Federal Government and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations."

"CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) expects that removing this threat actor from compromised environments will be highly complex and challenging for organizations," the alert issued Thursday, said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo linked the attacks with Russia. But Trump, speaking out Saturday for the first time following the attacks, contradicted Pompeo and came to Russia’s defense, instead accusing China.

"Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!)," Trump wrote on Twitter, downplaying the severity of the attack.


In his letter, Smith noted that there are steps the DOD must take in order to separate the NSA and CYBERCOM – a measure Congress actually worked to reinforce in 2019 following chatter about a potential split, reported Defense News.

"Given that no assessment has been completed and no certification has been issued, I remind you that any action to terminate the dual-hat relationship with NSA and Cyber Command is not only inadvisable, but is contrary to law," Smith wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×