
Hegseth Orders Military Cyber Units to Counter Foreign Election Interference
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed a memo directing US Cyber Command and combat support agencies to deploy advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify and neutralize foreign interference in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. The directive, issued approximately five weeks before the vote, mandates coordination with the Department of Homeland Security to counter cyber threats to election infrastructure. While the Pentagon frames this as a standard protective measure, critics note that the second Trump administration has previously downsized key intelligence centers and questioned past assessments of foreign meddling, raising concerns about the timing and scope of these new operations.



