For months, the Pentagon has quietly assembled a new elite technology unit aimed at covertly disrupting and sabotaging foreign technological projects deemed threatening to U.S. military superiority. The unit, known as the Technology Support Office (TSO), has not been mentioned by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin or other senior Pentagon officials since its establishment in April—uncommon for a department that routinely announces major initiatives intended to modernize the armed forces or signal a harder line toward foreign adversaries. The push within the Pentagon to create TSO was led by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, a private equity billionaire who previously chaired the White House Intelligence Advisory Board during President Trump’s first term. Feinberg’s senior adviser at the Pentagon, Tom Lakusen, also played a key role in establishing TSO. Lakusen spent years working in the CIA’s clandestine operations division and recently served at Feinberg’s private equity firm, focusing on emerging technologies. Austin and Feinberg rapidly established TSO without public scrutiny, primarily by reorganizing two existing classified intelligence programs that have conducted similar secret technology disruption operations at a smaller scale since 2023. The Pentagon’s move signals an intent to intensify a range of aggressive overseas covert activities—potentially including cyberattacks, supply chain interference, and disinformation campaigns.
Although TSO lacks explicit legal authority to conduct covert operations, it collaborates closely with senior military and intelligence officials to develop advanced tools and strategies designed to disrupt adversaries’ access to critical defense technologies or carry out remote sabotage. The unit includes engineers, special operations personnel, and intelligence officers, with oversight led by the Pentagon’s Under Secretary for Intelligence and Security. Its responsibilities span from developing customized hacking tools to planning sophisticated deception operations, with the overarching objective of “buying time or preventing adversaries from developing” technologies most threatening to U.S. forces in large-scale conflict. The creation of TSO has also triggered internal power struggles. The U.S. Special Operations Command and Cyber Command have both opposed its formation, concerned about potential budgetary impacts. The type of operations TSO is tasked with directly encroaches on Cyber Command’s traditional domain. Disputes over TSO contributed to the recent departure of Cyber Command’s chief procurement officer, Khoi Nguyen. Additionally, some officials have raised concerns that due to TSO’s high level of secrecy and lack of oversight, current Pentagon leadership may be more inclined to disregard international law when executing such missions, or to funnel lucrative classified contracts to political allies.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1880267523815563/
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