War Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo that directs Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence entities to prioritize tools used to counter foreign threats to midterm elections.
“As we approach this election cycle, we must prove that we can and will protect the integrity of our democratic processes from any threat,” the memo says.
It goes on to direct various defense intelligence groups to “ensure foreign actors do not meddle in our democratic systems and to “counter potential cyber threats from foreign actors targeting our elections.”
“Our Nation’s ability to conduct free and fair elections is a steadfast principal of our democracy. Assuring and protecting this ability is a no-fail mission and the DoW will do its part in supporting this whole of government effort,” it adds, declaring that freedom “does not happen by accident.”
“I am therefore directing the entire DIE 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,” Hegseth wrote. “In America, the people rule – and we must ensure that their voice remains sovereign, secure, and entirely undiluted.”
According to a fact sheet released by the White House, the directors of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security each have confirmed that China “bought, stole, or hacked as many as 220 million Americans’ voter registration data.”
In 2022, the Intelligence Community (IC) flagged a Chinese Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) actor, believing they acquired voter registration data located on commercial websites, the fact sheet explains.
It further states that the declassified documents released by the Trump administration adequately explain “election interference,” noting that interference does not necessarily equate to changing the results of an election, as it is classically defined as a “subset of election influence targeted at the technical aspects of the election, including voter registration, casting and counting of ballots, and reporting of results.”
