Now is not the right time to split NSA and CYBERCOM – C4ISRNet
In addition to the big Russian hack, some other surprising news occurred in the cybersecurity world this holiday season. The Pentagon is reportedly considering ending the dual-hat arrangement that allows the commander of U.S. Cyber Command to simultaneously serve as director of the National Security Agency.
This idea, which has surfaced repeatedly since the standup of CYBERCOM, will not advance U.S. national security. The current arrangement has served both organizations well for years. There is no immediate need to split the two offices right now.
According to reports, the plan to end the dual-hat arrangement has been sent to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley, who, according to public law, would have to sign off on the split along with acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.
This initiative has caused some consternation in Congress, since lawmakers enacted legislation to address this very issue. The fiscal 2017 and 2018 National Defense Authorization Acts put certain roadblocks in place to ensure a proposal to make the split would not harm national security. In essence, both the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs need to sign off and certify the plan will not harm national security before the arrangement is ended.
The dual-hat arrangement started in 2009 when Cyber Command was created in order to provide it with the support and resources it needed to conduct its mission. The arrangement gave the growing Cyber Command the ability to borrow manpower and other resources from the NSA.
A lot has changed since 2009. Cyber Command has built 133 Cyber Mission Force teams and has conducted sophisticated operations, such as the cyber campaign against the Islamic State, which disrupted the latters ability to distribute propaganda online. This means CYBERCOM has gained in experience and developed capacity.
But how ready is it to split its command, and can that be done without affecting its operations? More fundamentally, should splitting the command be a long-term goal?
The initial push to end the dual-hat started during the Obama presidency and was politically motivated in the wake of the Snowden controversy. But military necessity should guide this shift, not politics. So what are the arguments for and against?
Sign up for the C4ISRNET newsletter about future battlefield technologies.
(please select a country) United States United Kingdom Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Subscribe
By giving us your email, you are opting in to the C4ISRNET Daily Brief.
Advocates for ending the dual-hat argue that one commander can lead to unfair prioritization of one organization NSA or CYBERCOM over the other. They also question the ability for one person to effectively manage two large organizations and claim that increased use of the NSAs advanced tools could lead to their premature exposure, possibly through a CYBERCOM operation.
Advocates for keeping the current arrangement focus on the close cooperation and synergy it allows between the two organizations that help their operations, the faster decision-making process it enables and the more efficient use of resources, since the two organizations can more easily share.
While there are arguments on both sides and many see the split happening at some point down the road, two things seem clear. A split should not be done hastily or prematurely. The close cooperation between the two organizations must be preserved.
And lets not forget the timing. Right now, the U.S. government is reeling from a massive breach by suspected Russian hackers with sweeping consequences, making this an inopportune moment for large organizational changes that could hinder cyber operations.
Both the former commander, Adm. Michael Rogers, and current commander, Gen. Paul Nakasone, have expressed caution about ending the arrangement prematurely. Both have said the arrangement works and enables the close relationship between the two organizations.
The two organizations operate under different legal authorities. Cyber Command draws its authorities from Title 10, which governs military forces, and NSA usually operates under Title 50 governing intelligence functions. This mirrors how cyber operations work as well, with the need for close collaboration between intelligence and military operations.
This means that Cyber Command and the NSA are able to collaborate in a way that other military forces are not able to cooperate with their intelligence counterparts. They currently enjoy a large degree of corporate synergy, where their close cooperation and unified command makes them more effective than if they were apart.
As Gen. Nakasone has said, The National Security Agency is our most important partner; the strength of this relationship will remain critical to the defense of the nation. The agencys world-class expertise, technical capabilities and accesses are crucial to USCYBERCOMs success.
Ending the dual-hat should only be done if it will enhance the effectiveness of both organizations in their operations, and a clear plan should be created with support from Congress, as it will need congressional support to be successful. Policymakers should continue to support the growth and development of Cyber Command to ensure that it would be ready for a future split down the road.
James Di Pane is a researcher at the Heritage Foundations Center for National Defense who focuses on military cybersecurity issues.
See the article here:
Now is not the right time to split NSA and CYBERCOM - C4ISRNet
- NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat - CBS News - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Trump said poised to fire NSA Mike Waltz for including journalist in top secret war chat - The Times of Israel - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Not the last Waltz: Trump defends NSA after security breach - The Times of India - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- NSA warned about vulnerabilities in Signal prior to White House group chat fiasco - SiliconANGLE News - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- NSA warned the Signal app was vulnerable last month - WTIC - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Codebreakers and Covert Agents: The Women Behind the NSA and CIA heads to Illinois State Museum - WAND - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- NSA warned about using Signal a month before leak of Houthi strike chat - CBS News - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- 'Putin is giddy': NSA knew Signal was vulnerable to Russian hackers before security breach - AlterNet - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- RAW: NSA MIKE WALTZ EXPECTED TO VISIT GREENLAND - Local 3 News - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- US NSA likely to visit India in third week of April - Hindustan Times - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Statement from Secretary Rubio and NSA Waltz on Call with Zelenskyy - Department of State - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Europe must invest more in defence amid global shifts: Greeces NSA Ntokos - Firstpost - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- NSA Bahrain, NAVCENT Hold First-of-its-Kind Exercise Vigilant Resolve - navy.mil - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Former NSA boss Osei Assibey Antwi picked up by NIB - GhanaWeb - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- WHAT THE TECH? NSA recommending weekly smartphone restarts & how it improves performance - Local 3 News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Ex-NSA cyber chief warns of devastating impact of potential DOGE-inspired firings - Breaking Defense - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Former top NSA cyber official: Probationary firings devastating to cyber, national security - CyberScoop - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Prime Targets Martha Plimpton On Her NSA Character & Why This Political Thriller Works: Never Trust People In Charge - Deadline - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Former NSA Dep. Director, Gifty Oware-Mensah will see NIB over 80k ghost names allegations - GhanaWeb - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Zelensky is not ready for peace talks, US NSA says - Mehr News Agency - English Version - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- More Than 100 Intelligence Staffers Will Be Fired Over Sexually Explicit Texts In NSA Chatrooms, Gabbard Says - Forbes - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- NSA says it is investigating potential misuse of chat platform - The Record from Recorded Future News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- 100-plus spies fired after NSA internal chat board used for kinky sex talk - The Register - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Tulsi Gabbard says more than 100 intelligence officers will be fired for sexually explicit NSA chat messages - CNN - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Elon Asked What Government Workers Did. The NSA Overshared - Schiff Sovereign - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Tulsi Gabbard Fires 100 Intelligence Officers for Sex Chats on NSA-Hosted Tool - The Daily Beast - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Elon Musk reacts to leaked chat alleging NSA, CIA officials discussed raising intersex babies as non-bina - The Times of India - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- What NSA, DIA agents said about Libs of TikTok, Ben Shapiro in leaked messages - The Times of India - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- NSA staff accused of lurid sex chats at work they were just discussing LGBTQ+ issues - PinkNews - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Sen. Tom Cotton reacts to lewd NSA chats: 'We don't want these people anywhere near classified information' - Fox News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- At least 100 NSA staffers to be fired for explicit chats during work hours - WDRB - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Gifty Oware-Mensah on the run as NIB investigates NSA scandal - GhanaWeb - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Former NSA, Cyber Command chief Paul Nakasone says U.S. falling behind its enemies in cyberspace - CyberScoop - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- NSA emphasizes strong defensive posture as it responds to report it hacked China - Washington Times - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- How the NSA Head of Accounts was undermined by his deputy for eight months after appointment - GhanaWeb - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- What Is Proteus in Zero Day? How the NSA Weapon Changes Everything - Collider - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- 'Zelenskyy will sign the minerals deal, no matter': US NSA Mike Waltz on Trump's Ukraine plan - The Economic Times - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- EXCLUSIVE: Clearcover launches Illinois-based reciprocal exchange to jumpstart entry into NSA - Re-Insurance.com - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Chief of Naval Operations Visits NSA Crane, Purdue University [Image 18 of 25] - DVIDS - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Liminal Health Launches NSA ClearPath: Revolutionizing Reimbursement for Out-of-Network Providers - PR Newswire - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Elon Musks D.O.G.E is giving the CIA and NSA nightmares now - MSN - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- NSA Ajit Doval likely to visit US along with PM Modi - The Economic Times - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- The NSA says do these 5 things with your phone right now - Fox News - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- NSA: Iraqi territory will not be used to attack neighboring countries Iraqi News Agency - ina.iq - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- NDC is not here to witch-hunt - Opare Addo to NSA staff - GhanaWeb - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- NSA Warns iPhone And Android UsersDisable Location Tracking - Forbes - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Trumps incoming NSA: Hamas must have no role in governing Gaza - JNS.org - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- Trump NSA Disputes Report That Neocons Are Influencing MAGA Staffing - RealClearDefense - January 19th, 2025 [January 19th, 2025]
- US NSA lauds Ajit Doval for pivoting ties to advanced future tech - The Times of India - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Auto insurtech Clearcover expands into Texas NSA market with CGA launch - Re-Insurance.com - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- "Cannot Think Of A Better Way To End My Tenure": US NSA On His India Visit - NDTV - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Heightened Security At U.S. Naval Academy And NSA Annapolis: Public Access Suspended Amid Increased Force Protection Measures - Bay Net - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- From The Seabed To The Stars: 10 Takeaways From U.S. NSA Sullivans Visit - Strategic News Global - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- NSA Sullivan to visit India to finalise important ongoing initiatives: White House - The Hindu - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- What NSA Jake Sullivans India Visit Signals For Nuclear And Tech Ties As US Lifts Curbs On Indian Entities - Swarajya - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- NSA Sullivan arrives today, seeks to strengthen AI, space, tech ties - The Tribune India - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- CISA, NSA, and Partners Issue Annual Report on Top Exploited Vulnerabilities - HSToday - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Where Will The Top Amateurs at NSA Yamaha Land After the Team Closes? - Vurbmoto - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- CISA, NSA, FBI and International Partners Publish Guide for Protecting Communications Infrastructure - HSToday - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Main players backing Syrian government have been weakened by other conflicts, NSA Sullivan says - NBC News - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Trump's incoming NSA Mike Waltz wants US to dance cheek-to-check with India - The Times of India - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- What Trump's NSA Nominee Said On India's Pivotal Role In The 21st Century - NDTV - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- Exclusive: Nakasone on exploding pagers, life after the NSA and another possible government job - The Record from Recorded Future News - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- FBI, CISA, and NSA reveal most exploited vulnerabilities of 2023 - BleepingComputer - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- CISA, NSA, and Partners Issue Annual Report on Top Exploited Vulnerabilities - National Security Agency - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- 6 Principles of Operational Technology Cybersecurity released by joint NSA initiative - Security Intelligence - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- It's official FBI, CISA, and NSA reveal the most exploited vulnerabilities of 2023 - TechRadar - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- Donald Trump picks Mike Waltz as US NSA: What it means for China and India - The Times of India - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- Who is Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's new NSA pick? What are his ties to India Caucus? - Firstpost - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- NSA should not oversee the management of national facilities RexDanquah - Citi Sports Online - November 14th, 2024 [November 14th, 2024]
- Trudeaus NSA admits to leaking secret intel alleging Indias interference to Washington Post - Firstpost - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- White House dials NSA Ajit Doval: Here's what happened in the call - The Economic Times - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- NSA Doval Stresses Need For Stable Indo-Pacific In Phone Call With US Counterpart Sullivan - News18 - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Director-General of NSA calls for continued support from government - GhanaWeb - October 21st, 2024 [October 21st, 2024]
- 5G Non Standalone Nsa Architecture Market to Reach USD 240.0 - openPR - October 21st, 2024 [October 21st, 2024]
- NSA meets with Minister Muir and DAERA to discuss industry concerns - Meat Management - October 21st, 2024 [October 21st, 2024]
- NSA cyber chief: Espionage is now Russias focus for cyberattacks on Ukraine - The Record from Recorded Future News - October 11th, 2024 [October 11th, 2024]
- NSA Investigating If Chinese Hackers Breached US Telecoms - Yahoo Finance - October 11th, 2024 [October 11th, 2024]
- NSA Issues Updated Guidance on Russian SVR Cyber Operations - National Security Agency - October 11th, 2024 [October 11th, 2024]
- News - Honoring the Stars and Stripes: NSA Philadelphia Hosts Dignified Flag Disposal Ceremony - DVIDS - October 11th, 2024 [October 11th, 2024]