Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Defense officials look at splitting up NSA, CYBERCOM

Defense officials look at splitting up NSA, CYBERCOM

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith pushed back on the split, saying it is 'contrary to law'

Top Defense officials are considering breaking the National Security Agency (NSA) away from the Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), a move that the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said made him "profoundly concerned."

Rep. Adam Smith, D- Wash., sent a letter to acting Department of Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, objecting to the department’s attempts to separate the security commands "without consulting Congress or meeting the conditions required by law."

The NSA and CYBERCOM work closely together under the Department of Defense, and are both overseen by four star Gen. Paul M. Nakasone.

The push to separate them during President Trump’s final days in office, is the latest move by the Trump administration to shake up the Pentagon.

Miller was named acting secretary in early November, after Trump unexpectedly sacked Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Esper had condemned the use of the Insurrection Act during nationwide protests this summer. The 1807 Act would have allowed Trump to deploy National Guard troops within the U.S.

Miller continued the Pentagon shake-up by hiring loyal Trump officials and firing head of the Pentagon’s Defeat ISIS Task Force Christopher P. Maier, earlier this month. The U.S. also withdrew thousands of troops from the Middle East and Africa.

Smith’s letter Thursday condemned not only the apparent method considered for the cyber defense split, but the timing.

"Any action to sever the dual-hat relationship could have grave impacts on our national security, especially during a time that the country is wrestling with what may be the most damaging cyber-attack in our country’s history," he wrote in his letter to Miller and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley.

Cybersecurity officials in the U.S. currently are addressing a high level breach that compromised federal agencies’ "critical infrastructure," according the Department of Homeland Security earlier this week.

The department has not revealed which agencies were targeted or the extent of the breach, only noting the "threat poses a grave risk to the Federal Government and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations."

"CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) expects that removing this threat actor from compromised environments will be highly complex and challenging for organizations," the alert issued Thursday, said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo linked the attacks with Russia. But Trump, speaking out Saturday for the first time following the attacks, contradicted Pompeo and came to Russia’s defense, instead accusing China.

"Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!)," Trump wrote on Twitter, downplaying the severity of the attack.


In his letter, Smith noted that there are steps the DOD must take in order to separate the NSA and CYBERCOM – a measure Congress actually worked to reinforce in 2019 following chatter about a potential split, reported Defense News.

"Given that no assessment has been completed and no certification has been issued, I remind you that any action to terminate the dual-hat relationship with NSA and Cyber Command is not only inadvisable, but is contrary to law," Smith wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×