Key Points
- U.S. Senator Tom Cotton is questioning the Pentagon over a report about Microsoft’s security practices.
- The report claims Microsoft used Chinese engineers to work on U.S. military cloud systems.
- The U.S. supervisors (“digital escorts”) allegedly lacked the necessary technical skills to monitor the work for security threats properly.
- The Defense Secretary said the concerns were “spot on” and that an investigation is underway.
A U.S. senator is demanding answers from the Pentagon about Microsoft’s reported use of Chinese engineers to maintain sensitive military cloud computing systems. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, sent a letter to the Defense Secretary after a ProPublica investigative report detailed the practice.
The report claimed that Microsoft uses engineers in China to work on the systems, supervised by U.S.-based “digital escorts.” These escorts, hired through subcontractors, have security clearances but often lack the deep technical expertise necessary to determine if the Chinese engineers are engaging in malicious activity. This raises serious cybersecurity concerns.
Microsoft, which Chinese and Russian hackers have targeted in the past, declined to comment on the letter. The company previously told ProPublica that it had disclosed its practices to the government.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded on social media, saying Senator Cotton’s concerns were “spot on” and that the Pentagon was already looking into the matter. He stated firmly that foreign engineers from any country, especially China, “should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access” Defense Department systems.
In his letter, Cotton requested a list from the Pentagon of all contractors that employ personnel from China. He also wants to know how the “digital escorts” are trained to spot suspicious activity, stressing that the U.S. military “must guard against all potential threats within its supply chain.”
