A new era: Gen. Timothy Haugh takes over for Gen. Paul Nakasone at Cyber Command

On February 3rd, General Paul M. Nakasone of the Army, the director of the National Security Agency and former director of Cyber Command, transferred over the leadership of the Cyber Command unit and the NSA to General Timothy Haugh of the Air Force. This transition is rather fascinating, because it has been described that the NSA and Cyber Command have worked hand-in-hand for the past 10 years, with Cyber Command’s activities falling more until Title 10, and NSA’s activities under Title 50 (17.46, lectures). General Paul M. Nakasone has been the leader for both, moving between two very similar and yet very different approaches to cybersecurity. While Nakasone has been criticized for this approach (as it lends itself to a blending of positions and power), General Haugh is not expected to face this criticism, as it benefits both military and espionage.
As the approaches to security have been increasingly complex through state actors such as Russia and China, but also non-state actors, an increasing number of organizations have been brought in to help address the issue and provide feedback. As discussed in class, some of the dilemmas for the state regarding cybersecurity include temporality, physicality, permeation, fluidity, and accountability. No longer is it easy to identify the attacker based off his point of attack or to see them cross state boundaries. In this case, the military infrastructure needs to adapt to these new threats that are no longer visible, are highly fluid, and anonymous. As the Cyber Command hat changes owners, it is critical to ask if it will change or grow in any capacity. Considering General Haugh is in a unique position to utilize and leverage “additional authorities for the command [and] enhanced budget control,” it can be reasonably expected that the Cyber Command and the NSA will continue to grow in their capabilities to address these new dilemmas that cannot be answered in a traditional manner. It will be interesting to observe how the new leadership will increase the state’s capabilities to address the issues of cybersecurity.