Report: Clapper, Carter recommended Obama fire NSA head

Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have asked President Obama to fire Adm. Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

{mosads}Citing several unidentified U.S. officials familiar with the matter, the Post reported that the recommendation was delivered to Obama last month.

The president has reportedly not taken action on the recommendation because he is also mulling over whether to separate the NSA from the nation’s Cyber Command, an issue that would complicated Rogers’s departure.

According to the Post, Clapper would like to see a civilian in charge of the NSA, and that it should have a separate chain of command from the cyber unit.

Carter, meanwhile, has expressed concerns about Rogers’s competency, according to the report.

After taking the helm of the NSA in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks, Rogers has not done enough to beef up security within the spy agency, the Pentagon chief reportedly believes.

Officials also told the Post that the administration was concerned that Rogers – who is reportedly being considered by President-elect Donald Trump to replace Clapper as the Director of National Intelligence – traveled to New York on Thursday without notifying his superiors to meet with Trump. The Post reported that the move was unprecedented for a military officer.