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The US National Security Agency (NSA) has appointed Air Force Lieutenant General Timothy Haugh as its new head of cyber command.
Haugh will replace current leader Army General Paul Nakasone, who was appointed in 2016 before being head of the NSA in 2018. His resignation has been expected for some time after his four-year term ran out last year, and he was asked to do an additional year.
During his time, Nakasone led the charge against ransomware groups targeting US critical infrastructure and supported Ukrainian cyber operations during its conflict with Russia.
Following Haugh’s new appointment, the head of the Cyber National Mission Force, Army Major General William J. Hartman, has been appointed to step in and fill the role of deputy.
Haugh was nominated for the position by US President Joe Biden back in May, when he was the deputy commander of the US military’s Cyber Command.
His unanimous voting in to the new position by the Senate comes as a surprise, with two senators previously wanting to block the new appointment.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., had strived to block all military nominations as part of a protest against the US Department of Defense’s stance and policies regarding abortion.
Additionally, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., blocked Haugh’s appointment, only later allowing it once the NSA admitted that it played a role in the purchase of web and location data belonging to US citizens from data brokers.
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