Washington, Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed US military cyber and intelligence agencies to counter foreign interference in November’s congressional elections, coordinating their work with other federal agencies.
The directive, made public on Monday, calls on US Cyber Command and defence intelligence organisations to identify foreign threats and act against cyber activity targeting the electoral process. It does not order troops to polling stations or transfer the running of elections from state and local officials to the military.
Axios first reported the memorandum and described three instructions. They call for prioritising intelligence and cyber capabilities against foreign meddling, producing information on threats to the elections, and working with the Department of Homeland Security against potential cyberattacks.
The Pentagon’s announcement presented the effort as protection against outside manipulation. It did not name a country behind a particular operation, announce that a US voting system had been breached or give a timetable for specific cyber actions.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department would work “in lockstep” with federal, state and local partners. He said Cyber Command and defence intelligence teams would help protect voting systems and expose foreign influence while respecting fundamental freedoms.
General Joshua Rudd, who leads Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, described countering malicious foreign cyber actors as an ongoing mission. The announcement therefore should not be read as the first time military cyber personnel have worked on election threats.
The order comes weeks before the midterms. It addresses threats from abroad rather than the administration of polling places or the counting of ballots.
Axios reported that officials expect advanced artificial intelligence to be used in the effort. The publicly described instructions, however, did not identify particular AI systems, targets or operations. The department did not present evidence of a new foreign campaign in announcing the order.
State and local authorities oversee voter registration, polling and counting. The Pentagon’s role as described in the directive concerns foreign threats and coordination with civilian agencies. It does not give military officials authority to decide who may vote or how ballots are counted.
The directive also arrives amid debate over the administration’s election security capacity. Axios reported that staffing and budget cuts had affected parts of the civilian federal effort. The Pentagon said its cyber and intelligence teams were working with those agencies and local authorities.
No country was named in the new directive as an active perpetrator. Earlier US investigations have examined foreign influence efforts in past elections. A warning about possible interference does not, by itself, establish that any government has interfered in the current vote.
US elections are administered through a decentralised system. Counties and states organise voting and count ballots under federal and state law, while national agencies can provide cybersecurity advice, intelligence and support against threats that cross borders.
Source: IANS
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