Politics
New Pentagon office targets foreign technology programs in secretive mission
The Defense Department established a Technology Support Office in April to support covert efforts against foreign technology programs viewed as threats to U.S. military advantage. The office’s activities remain classified, and it has not been publicly discussed by senior Pentagon leaders.
The Pentagon created a secretive Technology Support Office in April to help carry out covert efforts to disrupt or sabotage foreign technology programs that U.S. officials consider a threat to American military superiority, according to current and former national security officials familiar with the office.
The office, known internally as TSO, has not been publicly described by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or other senior Pentagon officials. Its name appears in Defense Department records and memoranda, but details of its operations are classified.
Twelve current and former U.S. national security officials with differing levels of knowledge about TSO provided information about its origins and broad mission. The available details do not specify which countries or technologies may be targeted, what methods the office could use, or how its work is overseen.
The office’s emergence points to a wider role for covert action in the Pentagon’s effort to counter foreign technology development. Because such operations can affect international relations and carry risks of escalation, the lack of public information leaves unanswered questions about the office’s authority, accountability and limits.