The War Department will coordinate efforts to prevent foreign actors from interfering with the midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 3, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and a third of U.S. Senate seats—approximately 470 contests total—will be decided in the election.
U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency will use intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify and defend against foreign threats to the election. The Defense Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will also participate in the effort, according to Hegseth's memorandum outlining the department's capabilities.
Hegseth directed the defense intelligence enterprise to collect information on foreign threats to U.S. elections, analyze it and produce guidance based on those findings. Cybercom will work alongside the Department of Homeland Security to counter potential cyber threats from foreign actors targeting U.S. elections.
Army Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, Cybercom commander and National Security Agency director, said the agencies regularly counter actions by malicious foreign actors targeting the democratic process.