Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency, is retiring at the end of March, the agency said Tuesday.
The NSA veteran is stepping down after 34 years of service, which included a stint as the director of the Cybersecurity Directorate starting in 2021 and multiple positions on the National Security Council.
David Luber, deputy director of the Cybersecurity Directorate, will succeed Joyce upon his retirement. Luber previously served as the executive director of U.S. Cyber Command.
“It has been a privilege to lead the nation’s most talented and dedicated team of cybersecurity professionals,” Joyce said in a statement. “Making a difference in the security of the nation is truly an honor.”
Joyce is departing the agency on a high note for U.S. efforts to thwart cyberattacks, announcing his retirement just hours after a global coalition of law enforcement partners seized and dismantled the infrastructure of LockBit, the most prolific ransomware group in operation.
Joyce was a frequent speaker at industry conferences, such as the RSA Conference, and maintains a light-humored presence on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, under his personal account.
Joyce was appointed to the role after the Biden administration tapped Anne Neuberger, the NSA’s first cybersecurity director, to serve as the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies in January 2021.
Joyce’s retirement marks the latest change to the Biden administration’s cross-agency team of the highest-ranking U.S. cyber officials. Harry Coker Jr. was confirmed as national cyber director in mid-December and Gen. Timothy Haugh assumed command of the U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA on Feb. 2.
