Hegseth orders cyber, intelligence agencies to prioritize election defense
The directive mobilizes cyber and intelligence teams to counter cyberattacks and influence operations as election officials warn of recurring foreign threats.
- On Monday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum directing U.S. Cyber Command and the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to mobilize assets defending 2026 election infrastructure from foreign interference.
- The order ties to President Trump's 2025 mandate on election integrity, aiming to ensure foreign actors do not "meddle in our democratic systems" amid long-standing concerns about interference.
- Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the department will coordinate with federal and local partners to protect voting systems, clarifying the guidance targets foreign threats rather than domestic political activity.
- Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., questioned Hegseth about potential troop deployment at polling places, which Hegseth dismissed as a "gotcha hypothetical," vowing he would not follow an illegal order.
- With the November midterms deciding control of Congress, implementation of this directive will be closely monitored by election officials and civil liberties groups to ensure compliance with legal regulations.
79 Articles
79 Articles
US Midterms: Hegseth says military intelligence, cyber forces will guard election systems
The US National Security Agency and other military intelligence and cybersecurity forces will guard election systems during the November midterms, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. Military cybersecurity experts have routinely helped monitor systems and deter potential hackers since election equipment was designated " critical infrastructure " in 2017.
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MandatoryPete Hegseth Issues New Pentagon Order Ahead of the Midterms
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo that puts the Pentagon’s cyber and intelligence apparatus on alert against foreign attempts to sway the midterm elections. The order hands US Cyber Command and military intelligence teams a direct mandate to hunt down and shut off outside interference, and it comes as the Trump administration presses a […]
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset instructed employees to use intelligence and cyber-technology to neutralize foreign interference in the upcoming elections, using advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. September 22, Hegset's regulation provides for the use of U.S. cyber command and intelligence services to prevent foreign actors from interfering with democratic systems, writes Axios, and the directive is based on US President Donald…
U.S. Secretary of War instructed the Pentagon to protect the election from foreign interference
Hegseth mobilizes Pentagon to protect midterm elections from foreign threats
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is mobilizing the Pentagon’s cybersecurity and intelligence resources to protect against foreign interference in the 2026 midterm elections. “As we approach this election cycle, we must prove that we can and will protect the integrity of our democratic processes from any threat,” Hegseth wrote in a memo released Monday. “As President […]
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