The United States' intelligence gathering could see a drastic shift as both physical and cyber threats become more individualized in the scope of national security.
According to The Washington Post, representatives from the Pentagon and the intelligence community will speak with President Barack Obama about separating what is now joint leadership of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command to provide a greater focus on each.
With the ever-changing threat environment and in the wake of several high-profile cyber intrusions and hacks on U.S. interests, military and intelligence leaders would like the two missions separated and given their own leadership. Currently, NSA director Adm. Michael S. Rogers is in charge of the NSA, the Central Security Service, and U.S. Cyber Command.
The Post reports that Obama considered separating the two aforementioned agencies three years ago, but was convinced by retired Gen. Keith B. Alexander, the NSA director at the time, to keep them together.
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, however, wants them separated in order to further build out U.S. Cyber Command. The two agencies have to share the same network at the moment, which can cause friction and time delays.
"I believe in the long run the right thing is to keep the two [organizations] aligned, but to separate them," Rogers said last week, the Post reports.
Not everyone is in favor of the move. Arizona Sen. John McCain opposes the separation of the two agencies — at least in the final few months of Obama's presidency — and would like them to remain under the same umbrella.
"I do not believe rushing to separate the dual hat in the final months of an administration is appropriate given the very serious challenges we face in cyberspace and the failure of this admin to develop an effective deterrence policy," McCain said during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reports the Washington Examiner.
"Therefore, if a decision is prematurely made to separate NSA and Cyber Command, I will object to the confirmation of any individual nominated by the president to replace the director of the National Security Administration if that person is not also nominated to be the commander of Cyber Command."