Microsoft announced on Friday that it is ending the use of Chinese engineers for providing technical support to the U.S. military. This decision follows a ProPublica investigation that raised concerns from a U.S. senator and prompted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to launch a two-week review of the Pentagon’s cloud contracts.
The ProPublica report stated that Chinese engineers were involved in working on Pentagon cloud systems under the supervision of so-called "digital escorts"—American monitors hired through subcontractors. While these monitors had security clearances, they often lacked the technical expertise to assess potential cyber threats.
Microsoft, a major technology provider to the U.S. government, has previously been targeted by cyberattacks from Chinese and Russian hackers. The company stated it had informed the government about its collaboration with Chinese personnel during the authorization process.
Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw wrote on social media platform X that the company "has changed how it provides technical support to U.S. government customers in response to concerns raised earlier this week to ensure that no China-based team is involved in supporting services used by the Pentagon."
That same day, Senator Tom Cotton (Republican, Arkansas), a member of the intelligence and armed services committees, sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense demanding a list of contractors using Chinese personnel. He also requested more information on the training of “digital escorts”—those tasked with monitoring such workers.
"The U.S. government recognizes that China’s cyber capabilities represent some of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States," Cotton wrote, citing numerous cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and supply chains.
In a video posted on X on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the launch of a review of cloud service contracts.
"I’m announcing that China will no longer be involved in any of our cloud projects—from this moment forward," he said. "We will continue to identify and eliminate any threats to our military infrastructure and cyber networks."