President Donald Trump abruptly removed General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and head of U.S. Cyber Command on Thursday, along with his deputy, Wendy Noble, according to two officials familiar with the decision. The dismissals drew sharp criticism from congressional Democrats, who condemned the ousting of a nonpartisan military leader during a period of escalating cyber threats.
Haugh, an Air Force general who had led the NSA and Cyber Command since February 2024, was dismissed without a publicly stated reason. His removal follows recent warnings from lawmakers about the dangers posed by foreign cyberattacks, including the massive Chinese hacking campaign known as Salt Typhoon, which officials have called one of the most severe breaches of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
“General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years,” said Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “At a time when the United States faces unprecedented cyber threats, how does firing him make Americans any safer?”
Lieutenant General William Hartman, deputy commander of Cyber Command, is expected to assume leadership of both agencies on an interim basis, the officials said.
Far-Right Activist Influenced Decision
The firings came hours after far-right activist Laura Loomer met with Trump on Wednesday and urged him to purge officials she accused of disloyalty. According to two sources familiar with the meeting, Loomer presented a list of names—including Haugh and Noble—claiming they were insufficiently supportive of the president’s agenda.
In a social media post, Loomer celebrated the dismissals, alleging that Haugh—who was nominated in 2023 under former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley—was a “Biden appointee” who should not have remained in the Trump administration.
The White House also fired multiple National Security Council staffers on Thursday, a move Trump confirmed aboard Air Force One. “We’re always going to let go of people we don’t like or people that may have loyalties to someone else,” he told reporters.
Outcry Over National Security Instability
Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, called the NSA shake-up “insane” during an appearance on CNN News Central. “This is pure chaos instead of common sense,” he said, noting that lawmakers had received no explanation for the decision.
In a farewell message to NSA and Cyber Command employees, Haugh urged continued support for the president’s national security priorities, emphasizing the agencies’ critical role in countering threats from China and other adversaries.
The Pentagon thanked Haugh for his decades of service in a statement but did not address the circumstances of his departure. Noble has been reassigned to a role within the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, according to The Washington Post.