The White House has asked senators to confirm a promotion for Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, deputy director for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd appears to be the Trump administration’s pick to fill the months-old vacancy atop the National Security Agency and U.S.Cyber Command.

On Monday, the White House formally asked the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees to approve Rudd’s promotion to the four-star level needed for the double-hat command.

Rudd, who is deputy director for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, appears to not have previously served in military cybersecurity, but a person familiar with the matter confirmed the nomination and said his background would align with U.S. goals to counter Chinese cyber threats.

The Senate received President Donald Trump’s nomination of Rudd for the leadership role on Monday, as noted in the Congressional Record. A four-star general is traditionally tapped to lead NSA and Cyber Command in a dual-hatted capacity.

The signals-intelligence titan and combatant command have been without a permanent leader since April, when Gen. Timothy Haugh was fired, apparently on the advice of far-right activist Laura Loomer. Since then, Lt. Gen. William

Hartman has led the agency in an acting capacity.

Hartman is expected to retire once a full-time leader is put in place, two people familiar with the matter previously said.

NSA’s workforce and morale have been under strain amid leadership gaps, program cuts, and recent extensions of deferred resignation offers, Nextgov/FCW reported last month. It recently achieved its goals to shed around 2,000 people from its workforce this year.

The NSA specializes in hacking and foreign eavesdropping and is deemed a “combat support agency” that faces oversight from both the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Department. Both components get oversight from the Senate’s intelligence and armed services panels.

Source: Defense One, 16 December 2025… by David DiMolfetta

Lt. Gen.  Joshua M. Rudd’s biography

Deputy Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd (USA)

A native of Southern California, Lt. Gen.  Joshua M. Rudd grew up in South Carolina and graduated from Furman University in 1993 after earning his commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. Entering active duty as a Quartermaster Officer, he successfully completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 1996.

As a Special Forces Officer, he has commanded at every echelon from Operational Detachment Alpha to Group. He has served in numerous flag and command assignments, to include: Deputy Commanding General – Operations of the 25th Infantry Division (2019-2020), Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (2018-2019), Commander JIATF-NCR (2017-2018), Commander of a Forward Deployed Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (2017-2018), Commander of 3rd Operations Support Group (2015-2017), and Commander of a Forward Deployed Combined Joint Task Force (2015-2017). He served as Commander, Special Operations Command Pacific where he oversaw Special Operation Forces across 52 percent of the globe, while providing operational oversight for the planning and execution of sustained special operations to ensure a free and secure Indo-Pacific.  He most recently served as Chief of Staff, United States Indo-Pacific Command.

He deployed in support of multiple combat operations including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve.

His professional education includes U.S. Army War College – Fellowship at Duke University, Naval Command and Staff College, Infantry Officer Advanced Course and Quartermaster Officer Basic Course. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in Strategy and National Security from the Naval War College and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Furman University. He is authorized to wear the following awards and decorations: Defense Superior Service Medal (three awards), Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star Medal (three awards), Combat Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Military Free Fall Jumpmaster Badge and Combat Diver Supervisor Badge.

Lt. Gen. Rudd assumed duties as Deputy Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command, on Sept. 25, 2024.