US EditionPentagon Issues Formal Concern over Microsoft's Chinese Staff
Secretary Hegseth ordered a third-party audit of Microsoft's Digital Escorts program after ending Chinese nationals' access to Department of Defense cloud systems due to security risks.
- On August 28, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an audit into Microsoft's use of China-based engineers on Department of Defense cloud systems.
- The audit follows a July ProPublica report revealing that China-based contractors maintained sensitive cloud services with limited US supervision, creating security risks.
- Hegseth stated the Digital Escorts program, initiated under former President Obama, allowed Chinese coders to operate remotely under US contractors but exposed the DoD to unacceptable risk.
- He issued a formal letter to Microsoft citing a breach of trust and demanded a third-party audit of the program’s code and submissions by Chinese nationals, calling the practice over and “common sense.”
- Hegseth ordered a two-week review to remove all China-based engineers from DoD contracts and required all software vendors to end any Chinese involvement to protect national security.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Pentagon Severs Chinese Access To Cloud Servers, Hegseth Orders Microsoft Probe
by Wallace White at CDN - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has severed Chinese contractors’ access to Pentagon cloud data systems under a Microsoft project while ordering a wider inquiry into the system, the Secretary announced Wednesday. “The use of Chinese nationals to service Department of Defense cloud environments: It’s over,” Hegseth said in a video announcement of the change. The Pentagon … Click to read the rest HERE-> Pentagon Severs Chin…
Pentagon terminates use of China-based engineers to support cloud systems
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon has ended a Microsoft program that allowed Chinese engineers to maintain the department’s sensitive cloud systems, and that it expects all DOD contractors to do the same. The decade-old IT servicing model was brought to light in July following a ProPublica investigation, which found that Microsoft was using U.S.-based “digital escorts” that would take direction on how to fix…
Hegseth says Chinese nationals no longer allowed to work on Pentagon cloud
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the Pentagon would no longer allow Chinese nationals to work as coders on Department of Defense (DOD) cloud systems. A program previously allowed Chinese developers to work as “digital escorts” in a role modeled by Microsoft, where foreign nationals remain under the supervision of remote U.S. contractors. Hegseth…
Hegseth Ends Microsoft’s 'Digital Escort' Program After Pentagon Systems Exposed to Chinese Coders
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon has shut down Microsoft’s decade-old “digital escort” program, first implemented under a Democrat administration, which allowed Chinese engineers supervised by U.S. contractors to work on sensitive defense cloud systems. He said the Defense Department has launched audits and investigations to assess the program’s impact on national security. The post Hegseth Ends Microsoft’s ‘D…
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