Musk cuts US cyber defences against Russia, increasing threats to UK

The Pentagon cyber unit that helps counter threats from Russia has had part of its funding cut, The i Paper can reveal.

US Cyber Command (USCC), which is charged with defending US military networks, has been ordered to axe contract dealings with private-sector partners, and freeze recruitment.

The shock move could have a major impact on Britain’s ability to defend itself against cyber attacks from hostile nations.

Phil Stupak, who stood down as White House assistant cyber director in January, said the decision to halt USCC contracts means Trump was “actively cannibalising defence”.

The USCC also helps conduct offensive cyber operations against state-sponsored threats and cyber criminal groups.

Intelligence sources claim the funding cut would have a “chilling effect on all Russia-related work” and impact on its joint operations with the UK.

It forms part of sweeping cuts to US cyber operations by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Stupak said the cuts were “extraordinarily concerning”. He told The i Paper: “US Cyber Command is the cyber crown jewel, they are very impressive, and many of their capabilities are commercial in nature.”

An insider at the USCC said the cuts had caused “significant damage to capacity” at the agency, directly affecting ongoing work with international allies, including UK intelligence agencies, that are working to disrupt cyber threats from Russia, as well as China and Iran.

Last September, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – the UK’s signals intelligence agency – worked with USCC to expose a unit of Russia’s military intelligence service responsible for a campaign of malicious cyber activity targeting government and critical infrastructure organisations around the world.

Nicholas Williams, a former senior official at Nato and the Ministry of Defence, said the downgrading of US cyber capability risked a “blunting of the UK’s ability to raise awareness of impending threats”.

He added: “Capabilities of our cyber adversaries – mainly Russia and China – are growing. While the UK is alone responsible for [its own] cyber security policy and practice, international co-operation among close allies is essential for keeping ahead of the increasingly sophisticated offensive cyber capabilities of malicious actors.

“US Air Force full potential requires commercial contracts with Lockheed [Martin] and Northrup [Grumman] for the F35 [fighter jet], and US Cyber Command has their own vendors. So when you’re cutting contracts .. I have to ask what capabilities are being lost.”

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has launched further cuts to US cyber programmes. A leading cyber agency within the Department of Homeland Security was forced to cancel contracts with more than a hundred cybersecurity experts last month.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) is tasked with defending vital US infrastructure and electoral processes from cyber attacks. Yet despite the rising threat of targeted strikes from hostile states, there are fears that almost half of the agency’s 3,400 workforce could be at risk.

Last week, General Timothy Haugh, who headed US Cyber Command – and the US National Security Agency – was removed from his job after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and outside adviser to Trump, called for his sacking during her Oval Office meeting.

The move sent shockwaves among domestic and international intelligence chiefs. Stupak, who worked alongside General Haugh, said there was “no one more loyal to the constitution and the country”

“As far as I know, a four-star general only declares his loyalty to those two entities. He served with distinction. All the free peoples of the world are a little less safe today.”

GCHQ refused to comment on the cut to US cyber defence units, but in previous weeks, the agency has repeatedly reiterated the strength of the relationship with the US.

However, UK intelligence officials have grown cautious of their American counterparts after a series of cuts, intelligence leaks, and foreign policy changes from the Trump administration.

Last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USCC to stop cyber operations against Russia, as the USA seeks to strike a peace deal over Ukraine.

A UK intelligence source previously described the reports as “madness” and said it showed a clear indication that the US was seeking to strike a “cyber peace deal” with Russia.

They said wuch a deal might stop Kremlin-linked gangs from launching cyber attacks in the US that had previously targeted critical national infrastructure and infiltrated government departments.

However, the source feared this decision “will leave Europe and the UK as open targets”, adding that “the US will just say we should have spent more”.

The USCC and the National Security Agency refused to comment.