Senate Confirms Joshua Rudd to Lead NSA and US Cyber Command

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd in a 71–29 vote to lead the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), filling a critical national security role that had remained vacant for nearly a year after the firing of the previous director, General Timothy Haugh, in April 2025.

The leadership structure, commonly referred to as the “dual-hat” arrangement, assigns a single individual to oversee both organizations.

President Donald Trump nominated Rudd to the position in December, when he was serving as deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Rudd’s confirmation followed reviews by both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee due to the unique structure of the role, which bridges military cyber operations and intelligence collection responsibilities.

The position had remained unfilled for months after the Haugh was dismissed, leaving the agencies operating under interim leadership ...