Trump’s National Security Agency director has laid out dramatic restructuring plans after just a few months on the job.
Afghanistan veteran Gen. Josh Rudd, confirmed in the role on March 10, is reportedly opening five new organizations within the NSA and pushing ahead before the logistics are settled.
According to the Washington Post, the new departments will focus on “artificial intelligence, China, cybersecurity, combat support or warfighting, and global intelligence.”
The five new—and very modern—departments each require a new “mission director,” which former officials say is causing some problems.
According to insiders, U.S. Cyber Command head Rudd was considering outside hires for the leadership roles, which hasn’t gone down well with some inside the NSA.
“They are begging people to come back, especially leaders,” one former official told the Post. It remains unclear whether the positions have been filled.
The change also seems to include some shifting around of existing groups, such as the elite hacking team Tailored Access Operations, which will now fall under the global intelligence director’s purview.
While it seems many changes may be vast—or still up in the air—Rudd seems focused on a job done quickly, with details to be worked out during the process.
Insiders said the rollout of the new organizations is expected to begin in mid-October, with the new mission directors expected to submit their departmental plans by the end of September.
Current and former officials said they hope to reach “full operating capacity” by January 2027.
While the timeline is set, prior NSA restructuring plans suggest that it might be a bit too ambitious.
The last NSA upheaval began a decade ago under former NSA director Michael Rogers, who served under both Obama and Trump.
Rogers’s restructuring was given a two-year rollout, but a former official said the broader effort remains unfinished.
It seems that Rudd isn’t concerned about any snags during the rush job. The director “admitted that they don’t know how they are going to do it, so they are going to rush into reversible decisions, in case it is wrong,” according to the same insider.
