The Pentagon has a covert tech sabotage agency that they really dont want you to know about and there are big questions about its oversight

Date:
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 01:25:00 +0000

Description:
Disruption of foreign tech through disinformation, cyberattacks, and sabotage could be the future of this new Pentagon office.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Pentagon has set up a new covert surveillance office dubbed the Information on the Technology Support Office The Office's purpose is to disrupt foreign tech developments that
could harm the military superiority of the US Numerous intelligence officers are on board with the idea, but there are concerns about how operations would be overseen A new arm of The Pentagon has been quietly set up to aid the US military in attacking foreign technology programs that could pose a threat to US superiority.

If you had never heard of the Information on the Technology Support Office, youd be forgiven for thinking it could be an IT or troubleshooting help desk for the Department of Defense. But it is only mentioned by name in just a few Pentagon records. The TSO - as it is known within the Pentagon - was quietly set up in April by merging two classified Pentagon intelligence programs active since 2023. Their purpose was to covertly sabotage foreign tech. According to current and former US national security officials who spoke to Politico , the TSOs role is to expand upon this clandestine sabotage at the global level. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: US expands clandestine tech sabotage capabilities According to those who spoke to Politico , the TSO is the brainchild of Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg and his senior advisor Tom Rakusan. Prior to setting up the TSO, Feinberg was the former head of the White Houses Intelligence Advisory Board during Trumps first term, and Rakusan has long been involved in the CIAs clandestine service.

From a national security perspective, the TSO would operate to counter
foreign threats to the US. These could include malicious uses of artificial intelligence, or new emerging technologies such as drones or robotics. These threats would be countered using the same tactics foreign adversaries
leverage to harm the US - cyberattacks, supply chain disruptions and disinformation operations. You may like The Pentagon has unveiled an improved online store to buy counter-drone kits, but you probably won't ever be able
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Many of those Politico spoke to argued in favor of the TSO. The world is entering a new, more uncertain and more technologically advanced period where the bar for catastrophic disruption has been significantly lowered, and securing the safety and superiority of the US is a primary concern in this regard.

It is a refocus from the highest levels of the government on this type of activity, which has been sorely needed, one former senior Pentagon intelligence official told Politico . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
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But another former senior Pentagon official has raised questions about the TSOs oversight and regulations. What are the approval structures, what is the oversight, who is read in to give the American people confidence that what youre doing is consistent with our values and youre not creating something that five years from now will be seen as incredibly problematic? the official said. An echo of espionage from a bygone era? From speaking to current and former senior officials, Politico learned that the TSO does not have the ability to launch operations directly, and instead procures the tools needed to disrupt foreign adversaries through teams of engineers, special operators and intelligence officers.

The TSO will essentially work as a pipeline for connecting other Pentagon programs, alongside acting as a center for pooling approved cyber sabotage tools that other arms of the Pentagon can use. What to read next US inherits Venezuelan surveillance state built on banned Chinese tech and AI and it shows no signs of switching Made in China, flying for Britain: Who really knows whats inside our defense tech? Bomb Chinese data centers to prevent development of AGI, says Former Obama Admin Official nothing says
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But there is concern from the upper echelons of the Pentagon that the TSO could end up overstepping its bounds if there is not enough transparency into its operations. The covert nature of the TSO is a double-edge sword in this regard. The fewer people who know about its operations, the more covert it
is. But having congressional oversight could make too much of the TSOs work public.

One current US national security officer said, Because its a classified
space, theres even more opportunities to hide or misdirect.

When questioned about the TSO and its purpose by Politico , Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jacob Bliss said, This query appears to be built on information that is simply not true. Whoever is feeding you these claims are either badly misinformed or deliberately leading you astray to peddle their fantasies.

There is a historical penchant for US intelligence agencies to overstep the bounds of their jurisdiction in pursuit of national security. The NSAs predecessor - known as the Black Chamber - coerced telegraph companies into illegally handing over foreign cable traffic. Project SHAMROCK continued this work in collecting all telegraphic data that entered or exited the US.

COINTELPRO programs in the second half of the twentieth century ranged from disinformation and domestic surveillance to wrongful imprisonment and political assassinations. In more recent memory, there have been concerns
that surveillance conducted under the PATRIOT Act and CALEA Act may have significantly overstepped their bounds. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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