The U.S. military is not planning to send troops or personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterm elections, according to Gen. Dan Caine, the country’s highest-ranking military officer.
\n\nThe pledge by Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came in a letter to Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who earlier this month had asked Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the role of armed forces during the November elections.
\n\n“Election administration and security remain the fundamental responsibility of state and local officials,” Caine wrote to Slotkin. “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. Likewise, the Joint Force has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related material.”
\n\nThe letter, obtained by NBC News, was first reported by The Associated Press.
\n\nCaine wrote that “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.”
\n\nFederal law forbids the presence of U.S. troops at the polls “unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.”
\n\nThe potential…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business