U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to slam the brakes on all planning against Russia, including offensive cyber operations, according to a bombshell report by The Record.
The directive, issued before last week’s headlines, marks a seismic shift from a decade of strategies aimed at thwarting Russia’s digital aggression—think election meddling and crippling cyberattacks—leaving Washington insiders and cybersecurity hawks reeling.
Hegseth, confirmed as Defense Secretary in January after a fiery Senate hearing, spared the National Security Agency’s intelligence-gathering from the freeze, keeping eyes on Moscow’s moves. But halting Cyber Command’s offensive playbook against a nation long branded a top cyberthreat has ignited a firestorm.
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn’t mince words, sharing a Gizmodo article on X with a sarcastic jab: “Wouldn’t want to hurt Putin’s feelings.”
The dig, dripping with irony, nods to her own 2009 “reset” button gaffe with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—a botched diplomatic stunt where “reset” was mistranslated as “overload” on a red prop straight out of a cartoon.
Hegseth fired back Sunday, posting a photo of that Geneva moment, letting the image—a smirking Clinton and Lavrov pressing the mislabeled button—speak for itself.
The Trump administration’s pivot comes amid broader overtures to Russia, including Trump’s push to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, a stance that’s ruffled feathers from Kyiv to Capitol Hill. Critics see it as a dangerous thaw with a cyber adversary, while supporters argue it’s a pragmatic play to reset relations.
The move follows Trump’s January promise to rethink Biden-era cyber policies, which hammered Russia with sanctions and ops after hacks like SolarWinds. Now, with crossings at the southern border down 95%, Hegseth’s directive signals a shift inward.
Cybersecurity brass aren’t cheering. The halt could blind U.S. defenses to Russia’s next digital salvo, especially after years of probing Kremlin networks. Clinton’s barb aside, the policy’s drawn flak from Democrats and some GOP stalwarts, though Hegseth’s camp stands firm.
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“This is about strategy, not surrender,” a Pentagon insider told Axios anonymously. Details on how long the pause lasts—or what replaces it—remain murky, with the Defense Department tight-lipped.
As Trump preps for Friday’s White House Crypto Summit, Hegseth’s cyber U-turn keeps the Russia debate boiling. Clinton’s “reset” flop may be old news, but this latest twist has Washington asking: is this a fresh start or a risky overload? For now, the digital front line with Moscow is on ice—and the fallout’s just heating up.
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