Cyber Command, NSA to remain under the leadership of one person

The Trump administration reportedly backed off from breaking up the so-called “dual-hat” leadership of Cyber Command and the National Security Agency (NSA).

According to a Sept. 9 report in The Record, the decision to keep the dual-hat arrangement was made without any great fanfare.

The website quoted anonymous sources saying that the administration recognized that having a separate head for each intelligence organization would take several years to achieve and drain energy from pursuing more pressing Trump administration foreign policy priorities.

With news Wednesday that NATO downed Russian drones over Poland and Israel launching an attack in Yemen today following a strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar on Tuesday, security pros generally agreed that it made sense to stick with the arrangement, especially since it still has strong bipartisan support.

Since April 3, 2025, when Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh was dismissed as the head of NSA and Cyber Command, Lt. Gen. William Hartman has been serving in an acting capacity heading up the two organizations.

The idea of ending the arrangement has been on the table since Cyber Command was created in 2010. And for his part, President Donald Trump has been trying to push for an end to the dual-hat arrangement since the waning days of his first administration in 2020. The White House in June 2025 rejected the Pentagon’s move to name Lt. Gen. Richard Angle to the role, even though he had the support of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Late last week, Politico reported that Trump was expected to name Hartman to the dual-hat job sometime soon.