Pentagon directs military to counter foreign threats to US midterm elections

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on September 22, announced publicly on September 29, directing US military cyber and intelligence forces to protect US midterm elections scheduled for November 3 from foreign interference. The directive tasks US Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and combat support agencies with deploying "advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities" to identify, disrupt, and neutralize foreign threats to election infrastructure, working in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.

Military cybersecurity experts have routinely assisted in monitoring election systems and deterring potential cyberattacks since election equipment was designated critical infrastructure in 2017. However, the announcement comes approximately five weeks before Election Day, with early voting already underway. Election security experts and former officials have questioned the timing and scope of the effort. David Becker, former US Justice Department attorney and director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, stated the short timeline "suggests this is just theater," noting that if the administration were serious about supporting state and local election officials, it would not have dismantled federal election cybersecurity capacity and dismissed expert staff in early 2025.

The memo's focus on military-led cyber defense represents a shift in approach following the disbanding of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the civilian division of the Department of Homeland Security that was specifically created to safeguard election infrastructure. CISA released an election infrastructure security plan the week prior to Hegseth's announcement, detailing potential threats and services available to election officials. Concerns have been raised about whether the Election Security Group (ESG), a specialized team of NSA and Cyber Command officials coordinating responses to foreign election interference, has been reconstituted for the 2026 midterms. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, head of Cyber Command and the NSA, testified in April that he was uncertain whether such a team had been established.

The administration has previously disbanded or downsized multiple government centers within the FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence tasked with countering foreign influence operations. President Trump has also dismissed past US intelligence assessments regarding Russian and Chinese efforts to influence elections. These actions have prompted concern among current and former national security officials regarding the prioritization of election security from foreign threats. The US Supreme Court has blocked Trump administration attempts to restrict mail voting but permitted use of a federal database to verify voter citizenship.