Navy Codebreaker Picked To Head Embattled NSA
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has signed off on the nomination of Vice Adm. Michael Rogers to lead the embattled National Security Agency and the Pentagon’s cyberwarfare organization, according to sources familiar with the decision.
In an unusual move, Obama himself interviewed Rogers last week, in a reflection of the job’s high profile as the NSA has drawn fire for the scope of its surveillance practices.
White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden declined to comment, but people familiar with the matter said an announcement is expected soon.
Rogers, a Navy cryptologist, has long been seen as the frontrunner to succeed Gen. Keith Alexander, who has been NSA director since 2005. Alexander, who will retire March 14, is the longest-serving NSA head. He is also the first commander of U.S. Cyber Command, which launched in 2009.
Rogers, whose Navy career spans more than 30 years, is “uniquely qualified” to take on the job, said Terry Roberts, a former naval intelligence official who worked with Rogers when he served as a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and JCS director of intelligence. She cited his background in intelligence and his experience heading Fleet Cyber Command, the Navy unit that works for U.S. Cyber Command.
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