London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×