Washington, D.C. – A new cabinet-level agreement is formally tying America’s food system to America’s defense posture.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum of understanding with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins under the National Farm Security Action Plan, outlining how the two agencies will coordinate when agriculture and national defense intersect—especially around threats ranging from terrorism and disasters to foreign influence and cyberattacks.
“We’re going to promote agricultural and economic prosperity, defend the foundations of agriculture and food … and strengthen domestic and agricultural productivity,” Hegseth said. “Together, we are elevating the protection of U.S. agriculture into America’s national security framework by ensuring systems remain protected against potential terror attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, with the full support of the Department of War and the national security enterprise.”
Why food security is being treated as national security
The National Farm Security Action Plan, announced by USDA in July 2025, is a government-wide effort aimed at securing the U.S. food supply and reducing interference from adversarial nations. A key component: using presidential authorities to reclaim U.S. farmland owned by foreign adversaries—including land near military installations.
“When our farmland is threatened, the welfare of the entire nation is put on the line,” Rollins said. “It is undeniable that America’s enemies are playing the long game, infiltrating our research institutions, stealing our technology, launching cyberattacks on our food system, and buying up our farmland. China alone owns 265,000 acres of American agricultural land … these actions expose strategic vulnerabilities in America’s food and agriculture supply chain.”
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The MOU positions the Department of War as an operational partner in that plan. Reinforcing the idea that farmland, supply chains, and agricultural research are no longer treated as purely economic issues. They’re strategic terrain now.
“The National Farm Security Action Plan is a necessary step toward safeguarding our homeland against malign foreign influence,” Hegseth said. “America is the best of ideas, but America is actually also a place; it is a land … that we must defend at every single echelon, from space to the farm field.”
DARPA access: the immediate, high-impact shift
One of the most immediate outcomes is that USDA will gain access to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s capabilities—an expansion that could accelerate agricultural innovation tied directly to readiness and resilience.
“[DARPA] can do things, they can design things, they can bring things to life that no other agency across the federal government is remotely capable of,” Hegseth said. “Working with [USDA], we will ensure agriculture projects directly enhance our military’s strength and readiness.”
Alongside the cabinet-level MOU, a second memorandum was signed between DARPA and USDA’s chief scientist to create a direct path for collaboration where national, economic, and agricultural security overlap.
A cited example is DARPA’s Guardian program, which is developing methods to mitigate risks posed by non-native pests—including the New World Screwworm—described as a serious threat to ranching, the U.S. food supply, and national security.
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The bottom line
This agreement is a clear statement of posture: the U.S. government is treating the food supply chain, land ownership, research security, pest threats, and cyber resilience. As a frontline national security issue. The question now is execution: how quickly the interagency partnership translates into measurable protection of farms, infrastructure, and the systems that keep the country fed.
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