Ex-NSA Chief Says Agency Overhaul Is Needed as AI Shrinks Defenders' Response Time

Former National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone has said a reported broad reorganisation of the agency is "probably necessary" as it deals with faster-moving cyber threats, artificial intelligence and competition with China. Speaking at VulnCheck's ThreatCon1 conference, he cautioned that the outcome will depend on how the changes are put into practice.

According to a Washington Post report from last month, the NSA is creating five new organisations focused on artificial intelligence, China, cybersecurity, combat support and global intelligence. Each would be led by a newly elevated "mission director". Nakasone, who led the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command from 2018 to 2024, said he found it encouraging that agency leaders recognise the need to adapt. He noted that large institutional changes can take time, particularly in an agency with wide intelligence, cyber and military responsibilities. "It's not necessarily the change, because I think that's a good thing. I think it's how you implement the change," he said.

Nakasone also highlighted how AI has sharply cut the time defenders have to spot and respond to intrusions. When he took command in 2018, CrowdStrike data showed an attacker needed hours to move laterally through a system after first getting in. As of 2025, he said, that time has fallen to an average of 29 minutes.