Microsoft said on Friday it would stop sending Chinese engineers to provide technical assistance to the U.S. military after a report by investigative journalism organization ProPublica raised questions from a U.S. senator and prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to order a two-week review of the Pentagon's cloud computing deals.
The report details Microsoft's use of Chinese engineers to work on U.S. military cloud computing systems under the supervision of U.S. "digital guards," hired through subcontractors who have security clearances but often lack the technical skills to assess whether the work of Chinese engineers poses a cybersecurity threat.
Microsoft is a major contractor for the U.S. government and its systems are regularly targeted by Chinese and Russian hackers. Microsoft told ProPublica that it disclosed its conduct to the U.S. government during the licensing process.
On Friday, Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said on social media site
Earlier Friday, Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Microsoft's reporting practices.
Cotton asked the U.S. military to provide a list of contractors using Chinese personnel and more information about how U.S. "digital escorts" are trained to spot suspicious activity.
"The U.S. government recognizes that China's cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States, as evidenced by its penetration of our critical infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and supply chains," Cotton wrote in the letter. The U.S. military "must guard against all potential threats in its supply chain, including from subcontractors," Cotton wrote.
In a video posted on the X website on Friday, Hegseth said he was launching a two-week review to ensure engineers based in China were not involved in any other Defense Department cloud services contracts.
"I am announcing that China will no longer participate in any way in our cloud services, effective immediately," Hegseth said in the video. "We will continue to monitor and respond to all threats to our military infrastructure and online networks."