Tom Cotton: Department of Defense Must Investigate Microsoft's Usage of Chinese Engineers in Pentagon Systems

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, requesting information on Microsoft's use of Chinese engineers to maintain Pentagon cloud computing systems. In his letter, Cotton expresses concerns that this practice may expose "our nation's most sensitive data to a foreign adversary."

"In light of recent and concerning reports about Microsoft using engineers in China to maintain DoD systems, I've asked @SecDef to look into the matter," Cotton said in a Friday X post, sharing his letter with Hegseth. "We must guard against all threats within our military's supply chain."

Cotton is citing a ProPublica article, titled, "A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers," which detailed the tech giant's use of Chinese engineers. According to Cotton, this practice poses a significant risk to national security.

Concerns Over Digital Escorts

"Chinese state-sponsored hacking campaigns have long targeted U.S. officials through Microsoft systems. Now Microsoft is allegedly relying on U.S. citizens as 'digital escorts' to supervise these Chinese engineers' activities on DoD systems," Cotton said. "While this arrangement technically meets the requirement that U.S. citizens handle sensitive data, digital escorts often do not have the technical training or expertise needed to catch malicious code or suspicious behavior."

The senator is now asking for a list of the Defense Department's contractors that hire Chinese personnel to provide maintenance or other services on DoD systems, as well as a list of subcontractors that hire digital escorts for Microsoft, or any other entity. He also seeks information on the training provided to these digital escorts on how to identify suspicious activity.

Response from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Hegseth responded to Cotton's concerns, calling them "spot on" and saying he "fully" agrees with the senator. "Foreign engineers — from any country, including of course China — should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access DoD systems," he said.

"The Department of Defense is already looking into this ASAP," Hegseth added. This investigation is a welcome development, as it aims to ensure that sensitive government systems are protected from foreign threats.

A Call for Transparency

Breitbart News will continue to follow the usage of Chinese engineers to maintain sensitive government systems and the investigation that unfolds. As the situation develops, we will provide updates on this developing story.

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