US Auditing Chinese Role in Cloud Services, Says Defence Chief

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an audit into Chinese nationals’ involvement in managing sensitive US military cloud services. He said Microsoft employed Chinese contractors to help maintain Defense Department systems, raising security concerns. A “formal letter of concern” was issued to Microsoft, and a third-party audit of its digital escort program was ordered to check for hidden code or vulnerabilities. Hegseth directed all software providers to end Chinese involvement in DOD systems. The move follows a ProPublica report exposing Microsoft’s reliance on China-based technicians. Microsoft has since pledged to stop using them. Hegseth called the decision “common sense.”