Hegseth orders suspension of Pentagon's offensive cyberoperations
against Russia
[March 04, 2025]
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and DAVID KLEPPER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has paused offensive
cyberoperations against Russia by U.S. Cyber Command, rolling back some
efforts to contend with a key adversary even as national security
experts call for the U.S. to expand those capabilities.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive
operations, on Monday confirmed the pause.
Hegseth’s decision does not affect cyberoperations conducted by other
agencies, including the CIA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency. But the Trump administration also has rolled back other
efforts at the FBI and other agencies related to countering digital and
cyber threats.
The Pentagon decision, which was first reported by The Record, comes as
many national security and cybersecurity experts have urged greater
investments in cyber defense and offense, particularly as China and
Russia have sought to interfere with the nation's economy, elections and
security.
Republican lawmakers and national security experts have all called for a
greater offensive posture. During his Senate confirmation hearing this
year, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said America’s rivals have shown that
they believe cyberespionage — retrieving sensitive information and
disrupting American business and infrastructure — to be an essential
weapon of the modern arsenal.
“I want us to have all of the tools necessary to go on offense against
our adversaries in the cyber community,” Ratcliffe said.
Cyber Command oversees and coordinates the Pentagon’s cybersecurity work
and is known as America’s first line of defense in cyberspace. It also
plans offensive cyberoperations for potential use against adversaries.
Hegseth’s directive arrived before Friday’s dustup between President
Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval
Office. It wasn’t clear if the pause was tied to any negotiating tactic
by the Trump administration to push Moscow into a peace deal with
Ukraine.
Trump has vowed to end the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine
three years ago, and on Monday he slammed Zelenskyy for suggesting the
end to the conflict was “far away.”
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about Hegseth's
order.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a media conference at
NATO headquarters in Brussels, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia
Mayo, File)
Cyber warfare is cheaper than traditional military force, can be
carried out covertly and doesn’t carry the same risk of escalation
or retaliation, making it an increasingly popular tool for nations
that want to contend with the U.S. but lack the traditional economic
or military might, according to Snehal Antani, CEO of Horizon3.ai, a
San Francisco-based cybersecurity firm founded by former national
security officers.
Cyberespionage can allow adversaries to steal competitive secrets
from American companies, obtain sensitive intelligence or disrupt
supply chains or the systems that manage dams, water plants, traffic
systems, private companies, governments and hospitals.
The internet has created new battlefields, too, as nations like
Russia and China use disinformation and propaganda to undermine
their opponents.
Artificial intelligence now makes it easier and cheaper than ever
for anyone — be it a foreign nation like Russia, China or North
Korea or criminal networks — to step up their cybergame at scale,
Antani said. Fixing code, translating disinformation or identifying
network vulnerabilities once required a human — now AI can do much
of it faster.
“We are entering this era of cyber-enabled economic warfare that is
at the nation-state level,” Antani said. “We’re in this really
challenging era where offense is significantly better than defense,
and it’s going to take a while for defense to catch up.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi also has disbanded an FBI task
force focused on foreign influence campaigns, like those Russia used
to target U.S. elections in the past. And more than a dozen people
who worked on election security at the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency were put on leave.
These actions are leaving the U.S. vulnerable despite years of
evidence that Russia is committed to continuing and expanding its
cyber efforts, according to Liana Keesing, campaigns manager for
technology reform at Issue One, a nonprofit that has studied
technology’s impact on democracy.
“Instead of confronting this threat, the Trump administration has
actively taken steps to make it easier for the Kremlin to interfere
in our electoral processes,” Keesing said.
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