Trump Appoints Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd to Oversee NSA and Cyber Command

President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd as the new director of the National Security Agency and head of Cyber Command. Rudd, currently serving as deputy commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, would elevate to general. The NSA and Cyber Command have lacked Senate-confirmed leaders since April.

President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd to lead the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, according to a statement from the Pentagon. Rudd, who is presently the deputy commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, will ascend to the rank of general upon confirmation.

The NSA is a crucial player in global surveillance, dealing with vast amounts of signals intelligence, while Cyber Command is tasked with both attacking and defending cyber infrastructures. Rudd's appointment would fill a leadership gap created after a controversial shakeup of national security officials by Trump earlier this year.

This nomination follows the White House's rejection of Army Lieutenant General Richard Angle for the role, as reported by Politico. The NSA and Cyber Command have been managing without Senate-confirmed leaders since the removal of General Timothy Haugh.