Published Sep 1, 2026, 8:51 AM EDT
Gen. Dan Caine wrote in a letter to a concerned Democrat that he has not received any notice or call to militarize the midterms and ballot locations.
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Published Sep 1, 2026, 8:51 AM EDT
The nation's top military general said the U.S. military has no current plans to send troops to polling places during November's midterm elections. "The Joint Force has no plans to send Federal military personnel or Federalized members of the National Guard to polling places during the 2026 elections," Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), in a letter initially obtained by the Associated Press. "Likewise, the Joint Force has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related material," Caine added. The letter answered a request Slotkin had sent to Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asking them to confirm the Pentagon would not send federal troops to the polls or seize election materials of any kind. The Pentagon told Military.com it had nothing more to add beyond the content of the letter.
