A Civilian Head For The NSA?

White House Considers Appointing Civilian NSA Chief Amid Calls For Reform -- The Guardian

Administration also pondering plan to disaggregate embattled agency from new military command created around it

In the first likely structural reform of the National Security Agency since the Guardian began publishing Edward Snowden’s revelations, the Obama administration is giving strong consideration to appointing a civilian to run the surveillance apparatus and splitting it from the military command that has been its institutional twin since 2010.

But skeptics say those plans appear more cosmetic than substantive, leaving alone the central questions of bulk surveillance and potentially leaving the military with diminished capacity to safeguard its data from foreign attacks.

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More News On Reports That The White House Wants A Civilian Head For The NSA

The Switchboard: Obama considering naming a civilian to run the NSA -- Washington Post
Congress considers Senate confirmation for NSA chief -- CBS/AP
White House said to consider civilian replacement for outgoing NSA chief -- The Verge
Congress could see power to confirm NSA chief -- Politico
NSA leadership shakeup would mean squat -- Natasha Lennard, Salon

My Comment: A civilian head .... a military/intelligence chief .... it will make no difference in the end. An organization as complex as the NSA is not going to shift dramatically because the boss is now a civilian.

Update: It appears that National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander still has a friend in the administration .... Exclusive: Hagel Defends ‘Phenomenal’ NSA Chief as the Rest of the Administration Backs Off -- Killer Apps/Foreign Policy