Hegseth suspends offensive cyber operations against Russia: reports
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting at the Pentagon on Feb. 24. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
President Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to suspend offensive cyber and information operations against Russia, according to multiple reports.
Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of foreign policy reversals that appear favorable to The Kremlin, setting off alarm bells for U.S. allies, supporters of Ukraine and critics of the Trump administration.
- The directive, issued last month and first reported by the Record, is another example of the U.S.'s about-face on Moscow.
Driving the news: The suspension is only intended to last as long as negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war play out, officials told the Washington Post.
- Experts told the Post it's not unusual to halt operations during high-level talks but cautioned that the Kremlin could take advantage of the lapse.
- The Pentagon declined to comment to Axios.
- "Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations," a senior defense official told Axios. "There is no greater priority to Secretary Hegseth than the safety of the Warfighter in all operations, to include the cyber domain."
The big picture: Moscow's cyber power remains a threat to critical U.S. and global infrastructure, the director of national intelligence's 2024 threat assessment concluded.
- Russia views cyber disruptions as "a foreign policy lever" to shape other countries' decisions and employ influence, the assessment stated.
- Even as Moscow prioritizes operations for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russia still has the capacity to pose an "enduring global cyber threat," the assessment read.
Flashback: The U.S., at the end of 2021, sent cyber experts to Ukraine, a few months ahead of the Russian invasion.
- U.S. officials applauded the hunt-forward operation for blunting Moscow's cyber effectiveness: "Presence matters," said retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, then the chief of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, in 2022.
Zoom in: Russia's alleged efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and amplify domestic divisions through malign influence campaigns and illicit cyber activities have prompted sanctions and legal action.
- Asked about reports that the U.S. was pausing offensive cyber operations against Moscow, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that a halt had not been part of discussions between Moscow and the Trump administration.
- But he added, "There will be all kinds of carrots and sticks to get this war to an end."
Go deeper: U.S. votes against UN resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine invasion
