War Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered some of the nation’s most powerful military cyber and intelligence agencies to make protecting the November midterm elections from foreign interference a top priority, describing the effort as a “no-fail mission.”
The directive is contained in a Sept. 22 memorandum titled “Countering Foreign Threats to 2026 Elections,” which was publicly disclosed Monday. Election Day is November 3.
The one-page memo is addressed to the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the directors of the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
“Commander U.S. Cyber Command and the Directors of the Combat Support Agencies will prioritize the use of DoW intelligence and cyber capabilities to ensure foreign actors do not meddle in our democratic systems,” Hegseth wrote.
Hegseth directed the broader Defense Intelligence Enterprise to gather and analyze information about foreign threats to the elections while operating “in accordance with the law, regulation, Executive direction, and DoW policies and directives.”
The memo separately orders Cyber Command to work with the Department of Homeland Security and use its existing legal authorities and cyber capabilities against potential foreign attacks targeting American election systems.
“I am therefore directing the entire Defense Intelligence Enterprise to mobilize every authorized asset, capability, and partnership under your command to defend our election infrastructure from foreign malign influence,” Hegseth wrote.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military would coordinate with federal, state and local officials.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our republic,” Parnell said. “By working in lockstep with federal, state and local partners, U.S. Cyber Command and our defense intelligence teams will defend the integrity of America’s voting systems, expose foreign malign influence, and ensure our democratic processes remain secure from external manipulation.”
The order does not direct military personnel to polling places, authorize troops to handle ballots or give the Pentagon authority over state and local election administration.
Instead, it focuses on foreign intelligence gathering and cyber operations.
State and local governments remain responsible for administering elections, including operating polling places, maintaining voter-registration systems, counting ballots and certifying results.
The military’s election-security role is not entirely new.
Cyber Command and the NSA have worked together during every major federal election cycle since 2018 through an Election Security Group designed to identify and disrupt foreign attempts to interfere with U.S. elections.
During the 2022 midterms under President Joe Biden, the agencies combined intelligence and offensive cyber capabilities against foreign threats.
The model allows the NSA to gather foreign intelligence about potential attacks and pass relevant information to domestic agencies, while Cyber Command can potentially disrupt foreign hackers or infrastructure being used in an operation.
It remains unclear whether the formal Election Security Group has been reactivated for 2026.
Gen. Joshua Rudd, who leads both Cyber Command and the NSA, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April that he could not confirm whether the joint operation had been established for the current election cycle.
Hegseth’s memo does not answer that question.
It also does not identify a particular foreign government as an immediate threat, announce additional personnel or funding, or disclose specific offensive cyber operations.
The United States has confronted foreign election interference for several election cycles.
Russia conducted an extensive influence campaign during the 2016 presidential election, according to U.S. intelligence agencies, and American officials have subsequently tracked election-related activities linked to Russia, China and Iran.
During the 2022 midterms, the government detected cyber activity targeting election infrastructure from actors linked to China as well as activity claimed by pro-Russian hackers.
Russian, Iranian and Chinese government-affiliated actors also targeted political campaign infrastructure.
A subsequent Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security assessment found no evidence that those activities prevented anyone from voting, changed votes, disrupted vote counting or compromised ballots or voter-registration information.
Artificial intelligence has added another dimension to the threat.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
