Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh will take control of the National Security Agency next Friday, more than six weeks after the Senate confirmed him to take the helm of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command.
The NSA told The Washington Times the official changeover atop America’s cyber spy agency will happen Feb. 2.
The interim between Lt. Gen. Haugh’s confirmation and his taking command is noticeably longer than his predecessor, who was confirmed on a Tuesday and sworn in the following Friday in May 2018.
The holdup in installing the new leadership raises questions regarding whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s illness and hospitalization affected planning for the transfer of power.
The defense chief has responsibility for reviewing and recommending nominees to oversee the NSA, according to the agency.
The NSA is overseen by the Cabinet-level director of national intelligence, and Cyber Command is under the oversight of the Defense Department.
Mr. Austin, 70, went under general anesthesia on Dec. 22 for surgery to treat prostate cancer, three days after the Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Haugh.
Mr. Austin was discharged the following day, spent a week working from home, and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for severe pain on Jan. 1. The following week, the Defense Department revealed his cancer diagnosis and surgical procedure, with his doctors saying the hospitalization was due to a urinary tract infection.
President Biden was unaware of his defense secretary’s cancer diagnosis, according to the White House, provoking criticism about whether Mr. Austin should continue to lead the Pentagon.
Amid Mr. Austin’s surgery, hospitalization and recovery, Army Gen. Paul Nakasone remained in charge at NSA and Cyber Command.
Asked whether Mr. Austin’s hospitalization and illness delayed the transfer of power, both the NSA and Cyber Command declined to answer and referred questions to Mr. Austin’s office. The Defense Department didn’t immediately comment.
The NSA and Cyber Command have had time to prepare for the change in leadership, as Lt. Gen. Haugh’s nomination stalled in the Senate last year amid battles over the Pentagon’s abortion policies and the intelligence community’s data collection practices.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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