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The National Security Agency removed two top officials on Thursday (April 3) as part of a major shakeup, the Washington Post reports.
Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, who served as director of the NSA, and his civilian deputy, Wendy Noble, were both removed from their positions, with Noble being reassigned to a role within the Pentagon's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, current and former U.S. officials told the newspaper. The changes were made on the same day that at least three White House National Security Council staffers were reportedly fired.
The reason for the NSA shakeup has not been publicly revealed. Haugh took over as director of the NSA in February 2024 and also serves as the Pentagon's Cyber Command chief, though it's unclear whether he will remain in that position moving forward.
Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk, who orchestrated the firings of more than 200,000 government employees, was hosted by Haugh at NSA headquarters in March, the first time that he was known to have visited the intelligence agency. Lt. Gen. William J. Harmann, who served as Haugh's deputy at Cyber Command, will fill the role of acting director of the NSA, the Washington Post reported.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, bashed Haugh's removal in a post shared on his X account.
"General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years," Warner wrote. "At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?"