Pentagon Election Security Directive
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Directs Pentagon Agencies to Counter 2026 Election Interference
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon’s intelligence and cyber agencies to prioritize detecting and countering foreign interference in the 2026 midterm elections. The Sept. 22 memo orders the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to collect and analyze information on foreign election threats and directs U.S. Cyber Command to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security against potential cyber threats, while working with federal, state and local partners. The directive does not identify specific adversaries, operations, or new resources, and says the work must comply with applicable laws and policies. The order comes as the Trump administration has reduced or reorganized several federal efforts focused on foreign influence and election security; critics have also raised concerns about the administration’s actions and rhetoric surrounding voting.
Key Points
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The memo was addressed to the leaders of U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. It also sets no implementation deadlines.
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The directive arrives alongside specific changes to federal foreign-influence work: the administration dismantled the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, shifted many Foreign Malign Influence Center responsibilities to other ODNI offices, and assigned two officials to coordinate election-threat intelligence.
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Gen. Joshua M. Rudd said Cyber Command and the NSA already work closely to identify and defend against cyber threats, and regularly counter malicious foreign cyber actors, including those seeking to interfere with the democratic process.
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The memo was issued amid a separate dispute over voting rules: the Supreme Court temporarily lifted restrictions on a federal voter database, allowing states to use the Trump administration’s revamped SAVE program to check voter eligibility. The program has drawn scrutiny over its handling of sensitive personal data and errors that can flag eligible voters as noncitizens.
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