Trump Officials Deliver Plan to Split up Cyber Command, NSA

By Staff, Agencies

Officials of outgoing President Donald Trump’s administration at the Pentagon late this week delivered to the Joint Chiefs of Staff a proposal to split up the leadership of the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command.

It is the latest push to dramatically reshape military policy advanced by a handful of key political officials who were installed in acting roles in the Pentagon after Trump lost his re-election bid.

A US official confirmed on Saturday that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley — who along with Acting War Secretary Chris Miller must certify that the move meets certain standards laid out by Congress in 2016 — received the proposal in the last few days.

With Miller expected to sign off on the move, the fate of the proposal ultimately falls to Milley, who told Congress in 2019 that the dual-hat leadership structure was working and should be maintained.

Military officials have watched warily as Miller, his chief of staff Kash Patel, and Acting under Secretary of War for Intelligence Ezra Cohen-Watnick — all installed since Election Day — have sought significant policy changes with just over a month remaining in office. Recent outgoing administrations have declined to push through major changes during the transition period.

The post of NSA director and CYBERCOM commander are held by one person — currently, Gen. Paul Nakasone — in a "dual-hat" arrangement.

For years, cybersecurity and national security policy leaders have debated how and when to split that job into two positions. The Trump administration’s proposal, if approved, “would mark a significant shift in policy, and without the proper analysis and certification would run contrary to law,” a House Democratic aide said Saturday, calling the potential change “severe.”

The Cyber Command proposal also comes as the United States is grappling with a massive cyberattack on at least a half-dozen federal agencies. Investigators are still working to understand what data may have been taken or compromised. Although Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has publicly linked the attack to Russia, Trump on Saturday attempted to downplay the attack and attribute it to China.

The move may be a signal that Trump might remove Nakasone as the leader of one or either agency amid frustration over the handling of the recent cyberattack, according to some officials speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

An administration official defended the recent spate of changes during the transition.

“Miller is looking to set the department and force up for success in the future,” that person said. “‘Do no harm’ is his motto. He’s here for a short time and isn’t afraid to tackle the issues that would leave a typical secretary open to more baggage over the longer term.”

Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for Milley, said Saturday that the chairman has not officially reviewed or endorsed the proposed split. Until now, Milley has managed to maintain both his job and a public image of independence from the White House. But if he does buck the effort, it could put the chairman in a fragile position with Trump, who has dismissed multiple cabinet-level national security officials since his loss at the polls, including War Secretary Mark Esper.

While the abrupt timing of the proposal to split up the NSA-CYBERCOM leadership structure is unusual, the debate over the policy decision itself is hardly new. Supporters of the split argue that Cyber Command, created in 2009, is able to stand on its own without NSA and is sucking needed resources away from the intelligence agency. Critics of the move argue that Cyber Command isn’t yet ready to stand on its own, and that the relationship between the agency and the command is symbiotic.