Hegseth says debate over Cyber Command, NSA leadership would reach ‘conclusion’

President-elect Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth signaled he would seek to end the NSA/Cyber Command dual-hat arrangement after consulting Congress, outlined conditions under which a cyberattack could be considered an act of war, and acknowledged Chinese-linked intrusions (Salt Typhoon targeting U.S. telecommunications and Volt Typhoon in critical infrastructure) as national security concerns indicating insufficient safeguards. He committed to working with interagency partners to bolster protection of critical networks, while his confirmation hearing largely focused on other controversies.