Gen. Timothy Haugh, a four-star general who served in the same role following Nakasone’s departure, was fired last week following the recommendation of far-right activist Laura Loomer. The NSA’s civilian deputy director, Wendy Noble, was also dismissed.
Nakasone, in a press conference on the sidelines of the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict, praised the experience of Haugh and Noble.
“I’ve known Tim Haugh and Wendy Noble for well over a decade,” he said. “They’re both extraordinary leaders. And I had great confidence when I worked with them. You know, to the point of, does it cause disruption? Anytime you would take out a leader or the principal deputy — that’s gotta cause disruption.”
He added that Lt. Gen. Joe Hartman, who immediately took Haugh’s place in an acting capacity, is well-qualified for the job. “He worked for me in several different roles. This guy is at the top of his game, in terms of counterterrorism, counter-cyber, working with people, being an inspirational leader, all of those things.”
Nakasone added: “I would say, again, I’m concerned that the National Security Agency lost its number one and its number two leaders. But I also say that I understand that at the end of the day, that’s the president’s choice for who he wants to have in there.”
As the surveillance and hacking titan of the U.S. intelligence community, the NSA is considered a core spy agency whose work is featured often in intelligence products produced by various agencies like the C ..
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