Hegseth Orders Pentagon Cyber Push to Counter Foreign Election Interference
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to use intelligence, cyber and AI capabilities to counter foreign interference in US elections.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to bring its intelligence, cyber and artificial intelligence capabilities to bear on foreign interference in US elections, signing a memo on September 22 that sets out three linked lines of effort.
The first directive asks the department to give priority to its intelligence and cyber tools so that foreign actors cannot interfere with US democratic systems. US Cyber Command and the directors of the Combat Support Agencies are to be involved in that work.
A second instruction tasks the Defense Intelligence Enterprise with gathering and producing intelligence on foreign threats to US elections, while staying within applicable laws, regulations and executive directives.
The third addresses possible cyberattacks on election infrastructure. Under it, US Cyber Command and the Department of Homeland Security are to carry out joint operations against cyber threats traced to foreign actors.
Taken together, the memo signals a heavier reliance on artificial intelligence in spotting and responding to foreign attempts to meddle in US elections.
Pentagon officials said authorities at the federal, state and local levels are coordinating with military cyber and intelligence teams. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said officials across levels of government were working in step with US Cyber Command and defense intelligence teams to stop foreign interference and attacks. The aim is to pair federal cyber and intelligence capabilities with the state and local officials who run elections.
The push comes amid a long-running pattern of concern over foreign interference in US election cycles. The 2020 presidential contest, which then-president Donald Trump disputed after losing to Joe Biden and challenged in court, saw documented foreign influence efforts, including operations linked to Russia and Iran. US authorities said foreign actors tried to sway voters, spread disinformation and erode confidence in the process.
Investigations by the US government nonetheless found no evidence that a foreign government altered vote counts or changed the outcome. US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia ran influence operations meant to damage Biden's candidacy and undermine trust in the electoral system, with a 2021 assessment saying Russian actors pushed narratives critical of Biden while backing claims favourable to Trump. Separate probes by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, including the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, found no evidence that foreign actors manipulated voting systems or changed the results.