奥巴马提名密码专家出任NSA新局长 亲自面试

President Obama has signed off on the nomination of Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers to lead the embattled National Security Agency and the Pentagon’s cyberwarfare organization, according to sources familiar with the decision.

In an unusual move, Obama himself interviewed Rogers last week, in a reflection of the job’s high profile at a time when the NSA has drawn fire for the scope of its surveillance practices.

White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden declined to comment, but people familiar with the matter said an announcement is expected soon.

Rogers, a Navy cryptologist, had long been seen as the frontrunner to succeed Gen. Keith Alexander, who has been NSA director since 2005. Alexander, who will retire March 14, is the longest-serving NSA head. He is also the first commander of U.S. Cyber Command, which launched in 2009.

Rogers, whose Navy career spans more than 30 years, is “uniquely qualified” to take on the job, said Terry Roberts, a former Naval intelligence official who worked with Rogers when he served as a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and JCS director of intelligence. She cited his background in intelligence and his experience heading Fleet Cyber Command, the Navy’s cyber unit that also works for U.S. Cyber Command.

Rogers understands signals intelligence and cyberattack operations, as well as the intelligence needs for the military and civilian agencies, she said. He “is the kind of leader who will embrace the challenge of defining the optimal balance for the NSA between security, privacy and freedom in the digital age,” Roberts said.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to question him on issues related to both cyber operations and the NSA.

Rogers has regularly briefed top military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon. He has been involved in cyberdefense and offense policy issues as head of Fleet Cyber Command. But he has not had to defend the nation’s largest intelligence agency against charges of violating surveillance and privacy laws, and the Constitution.

Last month, Obama decided not to split the leadership of the NSA and Cyber Command, which a number of administration officials advocated, including Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. Obama also opted not to end the 62-year tradition at the NSA of having a uniformed officer as the director.

Alexander, who supported Rogers as his successor, has long argued that Cyber Command and the NSA need to be under one leader and closely linked because the military cyber mission depends heavily on the NSA’s networks and capabilities.

Some military cyber personnel say that Cyber Command will never fully mature as an organization unless the leadership roles are split.

In a 2017 interview, Rogers told The Washington Post that he was comfortable with the current “dual-hat” arrangement. “I think it is a sound one,” he said.

He said that fostering a “culture of accountability and responsibility” was one of his goals as Fleet Cyber commander. “We need to make sure that commanders understand cyber is a core facet of operations and warfare of the 21st century,” he said, adding that “it is not a silver bullet. It is not going to replace other capabilities.”

据美国《华盛顿邮报》1月26日报道，知情人士透露，美国总统奥巴马已经签署文件，准备提名密码专家、海军中将迈克尔•S•罗杰斯担任备受争议的美国国家安全局

罗杰斯是美国海军密码专家，军衔中将。罗杰斯在海军有30年的经验，曾主管舰队网络司令部，熟悉信号情报和网络攻击，也对军用、民用情报需求了如指掌。另外，罗杰斯还长期给军、政两界高级官员提供简报，参与过网络攻击、防御的决策工作。不过，NSA日前被指违反监控、隐私相关法律，甚至违宪，无疑给罗杰斯带来新的挑战。

考虑到NSA的“知名度”，奥巴马上周罕见地亲自面试罗杰斯。白宫发言人凯特林•海登拒绝发表评论。知情人士称，美国很快将就提名一事发布官方声明。

前美国海军情报官员特丽•罗伯茨盛赞亚历山大，说他是“那种拥抱挑战，能够在数字时代带领NSA在安全、隐私和自由方面达到理想平衡的领袖人物”。

基思•亚历山大2005年起担任NSA局长，即将于3月14日退休，是NSA历史上任职时间最长的局长。亚历山大还是2009年设立的五角大楼美国网络司令部的首任司令。

罗杰斯出任NSA局长后，也会同时担任网络司令部主管。此前，包括美国国家情报总监詹姆斯•R•克拉珀在内的多名官员呼吁让两者“分家”。不过，在亚历山大的支持下，奥巴马上个月否决这个提议，沿用旧制。另外，NSA成立62年来一直由军人担任局长，奥巴马此番提名罗杰斯，也沿袭了这个传统。

亚历山大支持罗杰斯接替自己，他一直坚称网络司令部和NSA必须由同一人领导，并且和军方网络项目保持紧密联系。也有军方情报人员认为，如果不“分家”，网络司令部将永远无法成为成熟的组织。