Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has paused cyber offensive against Russia
Multiple U.S. officials tell CBS News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive to U.S. Cyber Command last month to pause planning against Russia, including provocative offensive cyber operations.
The duration of the pause is unclear and comes amid President Trump's efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Hegseth's order was handed down before Mr. Trump sparred with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office late last week.
Two sources familiar with Hegseth's directive said it lacked specificity about the pause.
And, it's not clear how the order about planning was interpreted. Strategizing for future operations was never paused, multiple officials told CBS. U.S. cyber policy on Russia "is very much intact" and remains at the same level, one of the officials said.
The directive was first reported by The Record, a cybersecurity news publication.
During previous sensitive negotiations, past Democratic and Republican administrations have paused certain operations to prevent U.S. intentions from being misconstrued and keep diplomacy on track.
Asked for comment, a senior U.S. defense official said, "Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations. There is no greater priority to Secretary Hegseth than the safety of the Warfighter in all operations, to include the cyber domain."
NSC spokesperson Brian Hughes declined to comment on specific orders or cyber intelligence or operations.
"There's absolutely a steadfast commitment from President Trump, national security adviser Waltz and the entire administration that America's safety and our national security are never going to be compromised," Hughes said.
Asked about temporary halt in planning and cyber operations on Sunday's "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said, "I'm unaware of that. I don't believe — there are too many, I'm certain, considerations there for that to be an accurate statement so blanket."
When pressed, Turner, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee and is the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said, "Considering what I know, what Russia is currently doing against the United States, that would I'm certain not be an accurate statement of the current status of the Unites States operations."
On CNN's "State of the Union," national security adviser Mike Waltz said he was also unaware of the directive. Asked whether there were talks about pausing offensive cyber operations against Russia, Waltz said, "That has not been part of our discussions. There will be all kinds of carrots and sticks to get this war to an end."
