The United States has ordered all its embassies and consulates worldwide to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda, endorsing Elon Musk's X platform as an 'innovative' tool for the effort. A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, obtained by the Guardian, also instructs diplomatic staff to work alongside the US military's psychological operations unit to counter disinformation.
The directive outlines five broad goals: countering hostile messaging, expanding access to information, exposing adversary behaviour, elevating local voices supporting US interests, and 'telling America's story'. Embassies are told to recruit local influencers, academics and community leaders to carry counter-propaganda messaging, aiming to make US-funded narratives appear locally organic.
The cable specifically endorses X's Community Notes feature as a 'crowdsourced' instrument to combat disinformation. It also calls for coordination with the Pentagon's Military Information Support Operations (Miso), formerly known as Psyop. A State Department spokesperson said countering anti-American propaganda is a 'top priority' and that the department will 'fully harness every tool in our diplomatic toolkit'.
The move comes amid ongoing US tensions with Iran, Russia and China, which the cable accuses of running sophisticated disinformation campaigns. Previous efforts to counter foreign disinformation were channelled through the Global Engagement Center, which lost funding before Donald Trump returned to office. The new directive shifts responsibility to individual embassies, many already understaffed.
