WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- If as expected Gen. Michael Hayden is named to head the CIA, it would mark a further move to redefine the agency within a new U.S. spy system, a report says.
An Air Force general, Hayden hasn't officially been nominated for the job, though numerous media reports say he will replace CIA Director Porter Goss, who resigned Friday.
Goss spent less than two years on the job, and was tasked to revamp the agency, but became embroiled in internal disputes and the exit of longtime staffers.
The New York Times reports Goss was seen by National Intelligence Director John Negroponte as too unwilling to work within the large U.S. intelligence community, trying to retain CIA power without looking at the big picture.
More than 80 percent of the U.S. spy budget is allocated to the Pentagon and its mostly military intelligence programs.
Negroponte wanted the CIA to help fight terrorism and spy around the world.
Hayden, Negroponte's deputy, has been a critic of Goss.
A career military intelligence man, he's seen as a bigger picture player, despite a less than chummy relationship with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the Times said.
But any agreements or spats with Rumsfeld will come only if his nomination is approved by Congress, the newspaper added.
During confirmation hearings Hayden is expected to be asked a lot of questions on the controversial domestic spying program he oversaw while heading the National Security Agency.
