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A sign for the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command and Central Security Service near the visitor's entrance to the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., on Feb. 14, 2018. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd for promotion to general and to assume the role of director of the National Security Agency and chief of U.S. Cyber Command, the Defense Department announced Thursday.
Rudd, who most recently served as deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, would take over the two roles at Fort Meade, Maryland, if the Senate confirms him. The two-job position has been vacant for eight months since the dismissal of Gen. Timothy Haugh in April, with Lt. Gen. William Hartman serving in an acting capacity since.
Rudd’s nomination comes as U.S. officials warn of worsening cyber threats from China. On Dec. 4, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, and Canadian Cyber Security Center issued a joint advisory on Chinese state-sponsored hackers using BRICKSTORM malware to access government and private networks. China stands as “the most active and persistent cyber threat” to U.S. infrastructure, according to the alert.
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he is glad to finally see someone nominated.
“I look forward to reviewing Lt. Gen. Rudd’s nomination and evaluating his qualifications to lead the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command at a moment of unprecedented cyber and national security threats,” Warner told Politico in a statement. “That said, it should never have taken this long to nominate someone to this critical post.”
Warner said the administration has left the NSA without a confirmed director or deputy director since April, after abruptly firing the previous leadership.
“At a time when China, Russia, Iran, and criminal actors are constantly probing our defenses, this kind of chaos and vacancy at the top makes America less safe,” he said. “We need steady, experienced leadership at our most critical national security agencies.”
Rudd is a native of Southern California who grew up in South Carolina. He graduated from Furman University in 1993 with a bachelor’s in political science and was commissioned through ROTC. He has a master’s in strategy and national security from the Naval War College and completed a fellowship at Duke University via the Army War College.
Beginning as a quartermaster officer, Rudd moved into Special Forces in 1996. He has commanded at every level from operational detachment to group, including as commander of Special Operations Command Pacific, where he led forces across the Indo-Pacific. Previous roles were deputy commanding general for operations with the 25th Infantry Division and commander of the 3rd Operations Support Group.
Rudd was deployed during Operations Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn in Iraq, and Inherent Resolve against ISIS.
Rudd’s Indo-Pacific experience aligns with U.S. priorities against Chinese aggression, which has entailed the use of AI in hacking campaigns, with groups like GTG-1002 employing models such as Anthropic’s Claude for espionage against U.S. organizations.
In September, U.S. allies tied the Salt Typhoon hacking group to two more Chinese companies. Bipartisan senators have urged the removal of China-owned VPN apps from app stores, citing security risks.
Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees will now review the nomination.
Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2018 migrant caravan crisis.
