CNN
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The Trump administration has fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, the United States’ powerful cyber intelligence bureau, according to members of the Senate and House intelligence committees and two former officials familiar with the matter.
The dismissal of Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also leads US Cyber Command — the military’s offensive and defensive cyber unit — is a major shakeup of the US intelligence community which is navigating significant changes in the first two months of the Trump administration. Wendy Noble, Haugh’s deputy at NSA, was also removed, according to the former officials and lawmakers.
The top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committee, Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, denounced the firing of Haugh, who served in the roles since February 2024, in statements on Thursday night.
It wasn’t immediately clear why Haugh and Noble were fired.
The news of the dismissals came on the heels of the firing of multiple staff members on the National Security Council, after Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who once claimed 9/11 was an inside job, urged President Donald Trump during a Wednesday meeting to do so, arguing that they were disloyal. It was not clear whether the firings were connected.
Cyber Command and the NSA declined to comment and referred CNN to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which could not be immediately reached for comment.
Last month, Haugh hosted billionaire Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Government Effiiciency, at the NSA and Cyber Command headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Some current and former defense officials say there is a growing culture of fear inside the officer ranks within the Defense Department, among officials who worry that they could be fired at any moment for conduct deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
