Washington, D.C. — A new analysis from the Center for American Progress examines how the far right’s Project 2025 authoritarian playbook is targeting U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM)—a key component in the U.S military’s arsenal for combating election-related cyberthreats from foreign adversaries.
It’s just one of the many disturbing proposals in Project 2025, the lengthy manifesto created by the right-wing Heritage Foundation. The playbook is a guide for a future far-right administration to essentially dismantle the nearly 250-year-old system of checks and balances on which American democracy is built.
The plan would ban CYBERCOM from participating in federal efforts to fortify elections, misbranding its work as “partisan.” This move could empower foreign actors to influence U.S. elections and allow the far right to amass more power as foreign adversaries seek to divide Americans and promote extremist ideologies. And it comes as The New York Times and others have written how foreign governments such as Russia and China are using generative AI to manipulate public opinion online.
CAP’s analysis shows how CYBERCOM’s work, which includes offensive cyberoperations, remains vital in protecting the integrity of U.S. elections from foreign interference. It is authorized by Congress to take down foreign infrastructure and take on adversaries in response to cyber operations.
“Elections are a matter of national security and their outcome belongs in the hands of the American people alone,” said Greta Bedekovics, associate director of Democracy Policy at CAP. “An attack on American democracy is an attack on all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, or independents. America’s military cannot adequately defend the nation, support allies, and thwart adversaries if it is prevented from defending the bedrock of American democracy: elections.”
Read the report: “The Far Right’s Invitation for Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections” by Greta Bedekovics
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].