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2h ago

Microsoft Ends Use of China-Based Engineers on Defense Cloud Systems

The move follows a ProPublica exposé that prompted a Pentagon-led two-week review of cloud contracts.

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) talks to reporters following a closed briefing on the situation in Iran for members of the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
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Overview

  • Microsoft announced it will immediately cease using China-based engineering teams to support Defense Department cloud computing systems.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a two-week probe to verify that no foreign engineers remain on any military cloud contracts.
  • Senator Tom Cotton sent a formal request to the Pentagon for records on contractors hiring Chinese personnel and on digital escort training protocols.
  • The decision dismantles Microsoft’s decade-old digital escort framework, which relied on U.S. citizens with limited technical expertise to oversee overseas engineers.
  • U.S. leaders cited espionage risks under Chinese intelligence laws and potential backdoor access to sensitive military data as key drivers of the change.