Pete Hegseth midterm elections memo: Pentagon ordered to fight foreign interference in midterms

Pete Hegseth midterm elections memo: Pentagon ordered to fight foreign interference in midterms United States (U.S.) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has directed the military to fight and deter foreign actors trying to meddle in the country's midterm elections scheduled to be held in November. The Pentagon announced that the memo signed Monday has asked the US Cyber Command, the military's cyberwarfare unit, and combat support agencies to deploy advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify, disrupt, and neutralize foreign interference in US democratic processes. The directive comes just weeks before Americans head to the polls on November 3 to decide control of Congress, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats up for election. According to CNN, the memo does not identify any particular country behind an ongoing attempt to interfere in the elections. However, Russia, China and Iran have all previously been accused by US intelligence agencies of trying to influence American politics through cyber operations, disinformation campaigns and other activities. The Pentagon's involvement would largely focus on threats originating outside the United States, while agencies including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security retain responsibilities for election security at home. Cyber Command has previously taken action against foreign groups accused of targeting US elections. Ahead of the 2018 midterms, the military reportedly disrupted internet access at Russia's Internet Research Agency, which US authorities accused of running an online influence operation targeting American voters. Hegseth's latest directive signals that similar capabilities could again be used if foreign interference is detected ahead of November's vote. The order comes at a sensitive time for election security, with artificial intelligence making it easier to produce convincing fake images, videos and audio that can spread rapidly online. The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed what specific operations could be carried out under the new directive or whether Cyber Command has already identified attempts to interfere in this year's elections.