&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to use AI, cyber capabilities to counter 'foreign interference' ahead of US 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.
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.
Trending Stories
)
US vs China over South China Sea: Washington backs Philippines, Beijing hits back
)
Bigg Boss 20: Isha Rikhi evicted after three weeks in Salman Khan’s show
)
Musk plans to more than double xAI's chips to over 1.2 million Nvidia GPUs by year-end
)
After JU, clash erupts at SRFTI: BJP’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ jibe sparks political firestorm after students protest RSS-linked event
)
‘Anti-social elements spreading false rumours’: LPU issues statement amid massive unrest over alleged rape
)
LPU students go on rampage, vandalise campus amid widespread protest: What's happening
)
Trump asked Xi to pressure Iran. China did not say yes — here’s what Beijing wants
)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hails global crackdown on Iranian banks and airlines
)
An OpenAI agent escaped its locked test cage again, by hiding questions in DNS lookups
)
'Our video was trimmed': LPU girls who featured in rape-denial video make U-turn
)
3 males killed, four others injured in shooting after fight at strip club in Detroit
)
'Victory for low-budget consumers': Raghav Chadha hails 30-day telecom recharge rules
)
Claude rebuilt the 1989 game 'Prince of Persia' by reusing the original's own code
)
Beyond metros: How Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could drive India’s next AI wave
)
Tesla builds first Cybertruck with its own refined lithium: Elon Musk's $1 billion Texas bet pays off
)
IndiGo flight suffers tail strike in Bengaluru while landing; DGCA to probe incident
)
The US and China set up an AI 'red telephone', but skipped the rulebook
)
‘Terror suspects arrested near UK air base were looking to do big damage’: Trump
)
Russian envoy claims US tactics to contain India were revealed in ‘Freudian slip’
)
IND vs WI 1st ODI: Kohli breaks Sachin's most runs in one country record with unbeaten 139 as India thump West Indies by 8 wickets
)
Researchers rebuilt exactly how 700 AI agents hacked Hugging Face: a 900-link chain trick
)
‘Olympic inclusion is our major target’: WPA President Ishaun Singh on pool’s global ambitions
)
Nations League: Spain sink England at Wembley; Modric shines for Croatia
)
Why has Iran released no proof of life of Mojtaba Khamenei? Araghchi reveals...
)
'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
)
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean prisoners' transfer
)
Beyond BrahMos: India targets Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports with unmatched price edge
)
Sri Lankan Tamil migrant worker gets death sentence in Saudi Arabia, help sought from India
)
Muslim marriage cannot shield sex with minor wife from prosecution under POCSO: Delhi HC
)
'Can't help but draw painful parallels to Nirbhaya case': SC on latest incidents of rape cases in Delhi-NCR
)
99.9% more powerful - Scientists find boy who can recall memories from just 3 months of age
)
'FIRST LOOK from inside Noah’s Ark': Researchers share video from inside mysterious mound in Turkey
)
UNSC reform momentum grows: Russia, Portugal, Mauritius push for India's permanent seat bid
)
8 US marines injured in Iranian missile attack on vessel in Strait of Hormuz: Report
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (September 28-October 4, 2026): Dupahiya 2, Pooja Meri Jaan, Ohh My Dog- 5 titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed in clash near Pakistan border, Islamabad denies
)
Ceuta migrant crisis: Protesters take to streets as Spain grapples with migrant challenge
)
LPU suspend classes, postpones exams as violence escalates over rape claims: What's happening
)
New York City wants a 'kill switch' on every AI, and will pay whistleblowers who report violations
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.
