Trump chooses Army Lt-Gen Joshua Rudd to head NSA, Cyber Command

Summary

• Donald Trump nominated Lt-Gen Joshua Rudd as director of the National Security Agency and head of US Cyber Command.
• Lt-Gen Rudd, currently at the Indo-Pacific Command, would also be elevated to general in the new role.
• The NSA focuses on signals intelligence and cyberespionage, while Cyber Command is the Pentagon's top cyberwarfare unit.

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump nominated Lieutenant-General Joshua Rudd, the deputy commander of the US Indo-Pacific ‍Command, ​as director of the National ‍Security Agency and head of the US Cyber Command, the Pentagon ​said on Dec 18 in a statement.

A former Special Forces officer from South Carolina, Lt-Gen Rudd would be elevated to general.

He currently serves as the No. 2 at the ​US military's Indo-Pacific ⁠Command, which is responsible for US forces in the greater Pacific region.

The NSA, which focuses on signals intelligence and cyberespionage, is ​one of the world’s most powerful surveillance agencies and absorbs gargantuan ‌quantities of data through ​electronic intercepts and spyware.

Cyber Command is the Pentagon’s top cyberwarfare unit and focuses both on hacking and defending military networks against foreign spies and saboteurs.

In a “dual hat” arrangement that dates back to 2010, the NSA director ‍also oversees Cyber Command.

Lt-Gen Rudd did not return messages ​seeking comment.

The NSA referred questions to the White House.

Cyber Command did not immediately return ‌a message seeking comment.

The NSA and Cyber Command have been without Senate-confirmed leaders since Mr Trump sacked General Timothy Haugh as part of a wider purge of national security officials in April.

In June, Politico reported that the Pentagon’s pick for Gen Haugh’s replacement, Army Lt-Gen Richard Angle, was vetoed by the White House. REUTERS