The Pentagon and Department of Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday that increases both departments' cooperation on securing American farmland vulnerabilities.

The new memorandum builds on the National Farm Security Action Plan by creating a new partnership between USDA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The security plan claims American farmlands are a national security vulnerability because attacks on farmlands could make the United States susceptible to shortages and foreign dependency. 

"Today [War Secretary Pete Hegseth] and I signed a new agreement strengthening coordination between USDA and the [War Department] to protect American farmland, agriculture, and our food systems from foreign threats," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rolllins posted on X.

"This MOU advances our National Farm Security Action Plan through a new partnership with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, bringing cutting edge innovation and defense expertise together to safeguard American agriculture," she continued. "Farm security IS national security!"

Hegseth said American agriculture has faced real threats in the past, including in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, and claimed the goal of the new partnership is to prevent the weaknesses in America’s food supply chain from being exposed.

“Something people may not know is that shortly after 9/11 U.S. forces in Afghanistan uncovered Al-Qaida training manuals that specifically targeted America’s agriculture for attack,” Hegseth said, per Brownfield News. “The bottom line is we’re not dealing with hypotheticals here. The threat is real and it must be neutralized."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.