The US National Security Agency (NSA) is launching its largest restructuring in a decade, affecting the operations of the entire intelligence service.

Current and former officials familiar with the plan revealed the move, Operativ Media reports, citing The Washington Post.

According to them, the initiative by NSA Director General Joshua M. Rudd involves creating five new directorates at the agency's headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. They will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), China, cybersecurity, combat support, and global intelligence. The heads of these divisions will assume the authority of NSA deputy directors. This was announced to the agency's senior leadership last week.

Current and former employees believe the new organizational structure will better reflect the current and future priorities of the NSA, the leading agency in the US intelligence community specializing in global signals intelligence and securing American government communications.

The agency currently employs more than 30,000 people, including both military and civilian personnel.

The publication notes that it remains unclear whether the five new directorates will replace existing NSA divisions or operate alongside the current structure. According to employees, for instance, the elite "Tailored Access Operations" (TAO) unit, which targets the most hard-to-reach digital assets worldwide, will report to the director of the global intelligence directorate. TAO is one of the NSA's most secretive units.

The timeline for the NSA's restructuring is quite tight. According to sources, the new leaders must submit their reorganization proposals to Rudd by the end of the month. Implementation of the plan is scheduled to begin in mid-October, with the goal of reaching "full capacity" by January 2027.

Meanwhile, the US administration has proposed a massive multi-billion dollar budget increase for investments in information technology and computing power. However, the publication notes that the NSA's funding level approved by the US Congress remains strictly classified.