Hegseth Orders Pentagon To Deploy AI, Cyber Tools To Guard US Midterms From Foreign Threats

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to step up efforts to detect and counter foreign interference in the upcoming US midterm elections, ordering intelligence, cyber and artificial intelligence capabilities to tackle potential threats.

The directive, signed by Hegseth on September 22, does not order US military personnel or the National Guard to be deployed at polling stations. However, President Donald Trump has previously declined to rule out possible military involvement at polling places, raising concerns among Democrats and some critics of his administration.

According to an Axios report, the memo instructs the Pentagon to prioritise intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify foreign threats to the US midterms. The Defense Intelligence Enterprise will collect and analyse information on potential foreign election threats, while US Cyber Command will work with the Department of Homeland Security to counter possible cyberattacks. Officials said the effort will use some of the most advanced artificial intelligence capabilities available to the US government.

The directive builds on Trump's 2025 executive order titled "Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections". It also follows his July accusation that China interfered in the 2020 US election, a claim Beijing denied.

The Pentagon's move follows similar measures during the 2022 midterms under former President Joe Biden, when US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency were directed to disrupt and deter foreign attempts to influence voting and ballot counting. The federal government has increased its role in protecting elections since 2017, when the Department of Homeland Security designated election infrastructure as critical infrastructure.

Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, Trump's nominee to lead the NSA and US Cyber Command, told senators during his confirmation hearing that protecting the electoral process from foreign threats was a fundamental mission. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said federal, state and local authorities were working closely with Cyber Command and defence intelligence teams to stop foreign interference and attacks.

The order comes as the Trump administration has reduced or proposed cuts to some election security programmes, including proposed funding reductions for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and delays in staffing some key positions. Federal agencies have also devoted significant resources to investigating alleged voter fraud and examining voter rolls.

The latest Pentagon order does not authorise military personnel to seize voting machines. That issue previously featured in Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. After losing that election, his allies circulated a proposal to use Defence Department and NSA intelligence data to investigate alleged fraud, while Trump later said he regretted not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines.