WASHINGTON (AP) The White House is considering a proposal to split the work of the single military commander who now oversees both the National Security Agency and cybersecurity operations, presenting an opportunity to reshape the spy agency in the wake of harsh criticism of its sweeping surveillance programs.
Army Gen. Keith Alexander is top officer at both the U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA, and he's retiring next spring.
White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Thursday that no final decision has been made about how to handle the commands after Alexander leaves, but it's a "natural point" to consider a change.
The consideration of a split, first reported Wednesday in The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, comes in the wake of revelations about the agency's widespread monitoring of telephone, email and social-media data from documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The concentration of power over two such different missions has been controversial, and dividing the leadership has been under discussion for some time at the Pentagon. Alexander's departure gives President Barack Obama a chance to make changes at the two agencies, both headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland.
