Leadership Changes at U.S. Cyber Command and NSA
U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) removed Air Force Lt. Col. Jason Gargan, a joint task force commander focused on operations against Russia, after he was “relieved for cause” following disagreements over operations with CNMF leadership, according to people familiar with the matter. Gargan was reassigned elsewhere within CNMF and is expected to retire by the end of 2026; the move was described as unusual for CNMF, where underperforming leaders are typically rotated rather than dismissed. The personnel action occurred amid broader senior-level churn at Cyber Command, which has reportedly been without a Senate-confirmed leader for an extended period, and as CNMF chief Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock was nominated to become Cyber Command’s next deputy chief.
Separately, the National Security Agency (NSA) appointed intelligence community veteran Timothy Kosiba as deputy director with presidential approval. Reporting highlighted Kosiba’s background in network warfare and offensive cyber roles (including Tailored Access Operations-linked positions) and senior leadership posts supporting foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity missions; Acting NSA and Cyber Command head William Hartman publicly endorsed the appointment as supporting NSA’s mission execution.
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