Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced an investigation into a Microsoft cloud program that employs Chinese engineers for sensitive defense systems, following an investigative report that highlighted potential security risks. ProPublica’s report indicated that Microsoft’s subcontractors allowed Chinese engineers to assist with Pentagon systems without adequate safeguards, which could potentially grant the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to classified defense data. In response, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, requested specific information and documents from Hegseth, including a list of all Department of Defense (DOD) contractors who hire Chinese personnel to provide maintenance or other services to DOD systems. Hegseth affirmed the need for scrutiny, emphasizing that foreign engineers, including those from China, should not be allowed to maintain or access DOD systems.
The ProPublica report cited current and former employees and government contractors who worked on a cloud computing program deployed by Microsoft in 2016, which involved a