USA, NSA director and his deputy fired

(Adnkronos) – NSA Director General Timothy Haugh and his civilian deputy Wendy Noble have been fired, the Washington Post reports, citing two different sources familiar with the matter. Haugh, who was also head of Cyber Command, has been reassigned to the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. He had only taken up his dual role a year ago. Previously, he had led Cyber Command’s “Russia small group” section, a joint effort with the NSA to defend the 2018 midterm elections from Russian interference. He then took responsibility for offensive actions against Russian trolls. William J. Hartman, former deputy commander of Cyber Command, has been appointed acting director of the NSA. Last month Haugh welcomed Elon Musk to the agency’s headquarters for a positive meeting. In recent days, at least five National Security Council advisers have been fired.