Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Pentagon personnel to use advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify, disrupt and neutralise foreign interference targeting upcoming US elections, as per Axios. The effort marks the latest expansion of the federal government’s role in countering foreign election interference, a concern that has persisted during US election cycles for nearly a decade. Officials said the initiative will make use of some of the most advanced artificial intelligence capabilities available to the Defense Department.&nbsp;Hegseth's order does not direct military personnel to deploy at polling places. However, President Donald Trump has declined to rule out the possibility of military involvement at polling locations, an issue that has raised concerns among Democrats and critics of the administration. Under a memo authorised by Hegseth last week, the defense secretary pledged to counter foreign interference while upholding democratic freedoms. The directive establishes three primary areas of action.&nbsp;<ul><li>First, the Pentagon will prioritise its ‘intelligence and cyber capabilities to ensure foreign actors do not meddle in our democratic systems’ through US Cyber Command and the directors of the combat support agencies.</li><li>Second, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise will collect and produce information on foreign threats to our elections, in accordance with the law, regulation, executive direction.</li><li>Third, the memo calls for efforts to counter potential cyber threats from foreign actors targeting our elections through joint operations involving US Cyber Command and the Department of Homeland Security.</li></ul>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-offered-them-nothing-trump-rejects-claims-of-sanctions-relief-for-iran-confirms-us-talks-with-tehran-mediators-1790647397312">'I offered them NOTHING': Trump rejects claims of sanctions relief for Iran, confirms US talks with Tehran mediators</a>&nbsp;The directive draws on Trump's 2025 executive order, titled ‘Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections’. Officials also said the memo was drafted in response to Trump's July remarks accusing China of interfering in the 2020 election. China has denied the allegation. The new directive follows a similar initiative undertaken ahead of the 2022 midterm elections under President Joe Biden. That effort instructed US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency to disrupt, deter, and degrade foreign adversaries' ability to interfere with and influence how US citizens vote and how those votes are counted'.&nbsp;The federal government's role in addressing foreign election threats increased after elections were designated critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security in 2017. Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, Trump's nominee to lead the NSA and US Cyber Command, told senators during his confirmation hearing that election-security work was ‘fundamental’ and said he would continue to ‘safeguard’ American democracy.&nbsp;At the same time, the Trump administration has reduced or proposed reductions in some election-security resources ahead of the midterms. The administration proposed cuts to the election-security budget of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, the primary DHS component responsible for much of the work. Staffing for other key positions was also delayed. Meanwhile, federal resources have been directed toward investigating alleged voter fraud in previous elections and reviewing voter rolls, with portions of DHS staffing assigned to those efforts.&nbsp;Following Trump's 2020 election loss, Trump allies circulated a memo urging the president to use DOD and NSA ‘unprocessed raw signals data’ in an effort to investigate alleged election fraud, according to The Washington Post. Officials identified in the memo denied seeing it at the time. Trump also considered ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after the 2020 election and told The New York Times earlier this year that he regretted not doing so. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said federal, state and local officials are working in lockstep with US Cyber Command and defense intelligence teams to prevent foreign interference.

Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon intelligence and cyber teams to counter foreign election interference as the US prepares for upcoming midterm elections

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Pentagon personnel to use advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify, disrupt and neutralise foreign interference targeting upcoming US elections, as per Axios. The effort marks the latest expansion of the federal government’s role in countering foreign election interference, a concern that has persisted during US election cycles for nearly a decade. Officials said the initiative will make use of some of the most advanced artificial intelligence capabilities available to the Defense Department. Hegseth's order does not direct military personnel to deploy at polling places. However, President Donald Trump has declined to rule out the possibility of military involvement at polling locations, an issue that has raised concerns among Democrats and critics of the administration. Under a memo authorised by Hegseth last week, the defense secretary pledged to counter foreign interference while upholding democratic freedoms. The directive establishes three primary areas of action. First, the Pentagon will prioritise its ‘intelligence and cyber capabilities to ensure foreign actors do not meddle in our democratic systems’ through US Cyber Command and the directors of the combat support agencies. Second, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise will collect and produce information on foreign threats to our elections, in accordance with the law, regulation, executive direction. Third, the memo calls for efforts to counter potential cyber threats from foreign actors targeting our elections through joint operations involving US Cyber Command and the Department of Homeland Security. Also Read: 'I offered them NOTHING': Trump rejects claims of sanctions relief for Iran, confirms US talks with Tehran mediators The directive draws on Trump's 2025 executive order, titled ‘Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections’. Officials also said the memo was drafted in response to Trump's July remarks accusing China of interfering in the 2020 election. China has denied the allegation. The new directive follows a similar initiative undertaken ahead of the 2022 midterm elections under President Joe Biden. That effort instructed US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency to disrupt, deter, and degrade foreign adversaries' ability to interfere with and influence how US citizens vote and how those votes are counted'. The federal government's role in addressing foreign election threats increased after elections were designated critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security in 2017. Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, Trump's nominee to lead the NSA and US Cyber Command, told senators during his confirmation hearing that election-security work was ‘fundamental’ and said he would continue to ‘safeguard’ American democracy. At the same time, the Trump administration has reduced or proposed reductions in some election-security resources ahead of the midterms. The administration proposed cuts to the election-security budget of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, the primary DHS component responsible for much of the work. Staffing for other key positions was also delayed. Meanwhile, federal resources have been directed toward investigating alleged voter fraud in previous elections and reviewing voter rolls, with portions of DHS staffing assigned to those efforts. Following Trump's 2020 election loss, Trump allies circulated a memo urging the president to use DOD and NSA ‘unprocessed raw signals data’ in an effort to investigate alleged election fraud, according to The Washington Post. Officials identified in the memo denied seeing it at the time. Trump also considered ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after the 2020 election and told The New York Times earlier this year that he regretted not doing so. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said federal, state and local officials are working in lockstep with US Cyber Command and defense intelligence teams to prevent foreign interference.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth directs US cyber and intelligence teams to counter foreign election interference ahead of the upcoming midterm elections

Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to use AI, cyber capabilities to counter 'foreign interference' ahead of US midterm elections

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Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to use AI, cyber capabilities to counter 'foreign interference' ahead of US midterm elections