Reports have emerged that the Trump administration has terminated the employment of Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, according to several news outlets that broke the story overnight into Friday.

Haugh, a seasoned military official, had been at the helm of the National Security Agency, the primary intelligence gathering and wiretapping agency in the U.S., for just over a year, following his appointment in February 2024 after his predecessor’s retirement. Additionally, he oversaw Cyber Command, a military unit responsible for conducting offensive cyber operations against adversaries of the U.S.

The Washington Post, which first broke the news, and The New York Times, reported that the firings occurred after right-wing activist Laura Loomer advocated for Haugh’s removal, along with several other national security officials, during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday.

NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble, who served as the agency’s top civilian leader, was also dismissed, according to reports.:

It remains unclear who is currently overseeing the NSA and Cyber Command in the wake of Haugh’s termination.

A White House spokesperson declined to provide immediate comment on the reason behind Haugh’s removal.

Eddie Bennett, a spokesperson for the National Security Agency, referred comment to the Department of Defense, which houses the NSA.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense, who chose not to provide their name, informed TechCrunch that the organization has “seen the reports but have nothing to offer at this time,” and that it will “provide more information when it becomes available.”

The decision to remove one of the country’s top intelligence officials seemed to catch senior lawmakers overseeing the agency off guard.

In a statement, Mark Warner, a Democrat senator from Virginia and vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described the news of Haugh’s firing as “astonishing.”

“General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years,” Warner stated. “At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?,” he wrote, referencing a series of long-running China-led hacks against U.S. phone and internet giants that were discovered last year.

Warner also criticized the Trump administration for the firing while “still failing to hold any member of his team accountable” for sharing classified information about air strikes in Yemen in a Signal messaging group chat with several other senior cabinet-level officials, which inadvertently included a journalist. 

Jim Himes, a Democrat congressman who heads the House’s intelligence committee, expressed that he was “deeply disturbed” by the decision to remove Haugh.

In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk, who heads the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, met with Haugh at the NSA’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. At the time, the NSA said the meeting was to ensure its priorities were aligned with the Trump administration.

Musk had previously called for an “overhaul” at the spy agency, but did not provide specifics.