Obama Moves to End ‘Dual-Hat’ Leadership of Cybercom, NSA

President Barack Obama has moved to split oversight of the U.S. Cyber Command from top brass at the National Security Agency, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Cybercom and NSA “should have separate leaders who are able to devote themselves to each organization’s respective mission and responsibilities, but should continue to leverage the shared capabilities and synergies developed under the dual-hat arrangement,” Obama said in a statement released Friday.

Obama on Friday signed into law the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill that would turn Cybercom into a combatant command.

Ellen Nakashima writes the new law would allow the elimination of the dual-hat arrangement should the secretary of the Defense Department and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify jointly that to end such an arrangement would not reduce Cybercom’s performance.

“Congress … should not place unnecessary and bureaucratic administrative burdens and conditions on ending the dual-hat arrangement at a time when the speed and nature of cyber threats requires agility in making decisions about how best to organize and manage the nation’s cyber capabilities,” Obama said about the provision.

Obama noted that DoD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence plan to implement a “phased” transition that would allow NSA to continue operational support to Cybercom, according to the report.