Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. military cyber and intelligence agencies to make countering foreign interference in the upcoming midterm elections a top priority, the Pentagon announced Monday. The directive, contained in a memo signed September 22 and made public September 28, comes about five weeks before the November 3 midterms.
“Under Pete Hegseth’s directive, U.S. Cyber Command and Combat Support Agencies will prioritize and deploy advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify, disrupt, and neutralize foreign interference in U.S. democratic processes,” the Pentagon said in its announcement.
In the memo, Pete Hegseth directed the Defense Intelligence Enterprise “to mobilize every authorized asset, capability, and partnership under your command to defend our election infrastructure from foreign malign influence and ensure that every lawful voter can cast their ballot free from foreign intimidation, coercion, or fear.”
Pete Hegseth’s Memo: Cyber Command, NSA, DIA and NGA Tasked
The one-page memorandum is addressed to four leaders: the head of U.S. Cyber Command, the director of the National Security Agency, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Cyber Command and the NSA are currently led by Gen. Joshua M. Rudd.
The order lays out three main instructions, first reported by Axios: prioritize intelligence and cyber capabilities against foreign meddling, collect and produce intelligence on threats to the elections in accordance with law and Pentagon policy, and coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security to counter cyber threats aimed at election infrastructure. The memo calls protecting elections a “no-fail mission,” but it does not name any specific country, announce new funding, or set implementation deadlines.
Crucially, the directive does not order troops to polling stations or transfer the administration of elections from state and local officials to the military. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department would work “in lockstep” with federal, state and local partners, and Gen. Rudd described countering malicious foreign cyber actors as an ongoing mission — not a new one.
Why the Directive Matters Now
The announcement lands against a backdrop of deep cuts to the agencies that previously guarded election infrastructure. The Trump administration’s second term has dismantled the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, reduced election-security staffing and funding at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and overhauled the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s coordination of foreign-influence work, with the Foreign Malign Influence Center’s responsibilities redistributed to other offices.
Those moves fueled concern among current and former national security officials that the administration was not prioritizing election defense. The concern sharpened in April, when Gen. Rudd told lawmakers he did not know whether a specialized military-intelligence team dedicated to thwarting foreign election threats had been stood up for the midterms.
That said, the activities outlined in Pete Hegseth’s memo are largely things U.S. military and intelligence agencies were already doing before Trump’s return. Weeks before the 2024 presidential election, for example, Cyber Command hackers carried out a secret operation to disrupt Russian trolls targeting American voters, CNN previously reported.
Foreign threats to elections range from direct attacks on voting-related computer systems to influence campaigns designed to manipulate public opinion. The Pentagon’s announcement did not identify a particular adversary or disclose any breached voting system.
For the full official details, see CNN’s report on the Pete Hegseth directive and Defense One’s breakdown of Pete Hegseth’s memo.
With the November 3 midterms just over five weeks away, the September 22 directive from Pete Hegseth tasks the Pentagon’s cyber and intelligence agencies — Cyber Command, the NSA, the DIA and the NGA — with prioritizing the defense of the vote, working alongside the Department of Homeland Security and state and local partners.
FAQs
When was the Hegseth election directive announced?
The memo was signed on September 22, 2026, first reported by Axios, and publicly announced by the Pentagon on Monday, September 28, 2026 — about five weeks before the November 3 midterms.
Does the directive send troops to polling stations?
No. The directive does not order troops to polls and does not transfer election administration from state and local officials to the military. It targets foreign cyber and influence threats to election infrastructure only.
Which agencies are involved in the Pentagon's election defense effort?
U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), working with the Department of Homeland Security. Cyber Command and the NSA are led by Gen. Joshua M. Rudd.
Did the memo name any country or announce new funding?
No. The memo does not identify specific adversaries, disclose breached voting systems, announce additional staffing or funding, or set implementation deadlines.
