CURRENT POSITION: General Joshua M. Rudd assumed his present role as the 5th Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and 20th Director, National Security Agency/15th Chief, Central Security Service on 20 March 2026.
PRIOR POSITIONS: GEN Rudd was previously the Deputy Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, where he has also served as the Chief of Staff and Commander of Special Operations Command Pacific.
As a Special Forces Officer, he has commanded at every echelon from Operational Detachment Alpha to Group. GEN Rudd has deployed numerous times in support of multiple combat operations including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve.
EDUCATION: He graduated from Furman University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science after earning his commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. Entering active duty as a Quartermaster Officer, he successfully completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 1996.
GEN Rudd’s additional professional education includes U.S. Army War College – Fellowship at Duke University, Naval Command and Staff College, Infantry Officer Advanced Course and Quartermaster Officer Basic Course. He also holds a master’s degree in Strategy and National Security from the Naval War College.
PERSONAL: A native of Southern California, GEN Rudd grew up in South Carolina. He is married and has two adult daughters and one son-in-law.