Microsoft halts China-based tech support for Pentagon systems, Pentagon chief initiates review after ProPublica report.

Microsoft has halted tech support for Pentagon systems based in China following an investigation by ProPublica. The Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that work on Defense Department cloud services had been outsourced to China-based personnel and that the country would have "no involvement whatsoever" with the department's systems going forward. Microsoft made changes to its support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance.

Title: Microsoft Halts China-Based Tech Support for Pentagon Systems

Microsoft has announced it will no longer use China-based engineers to provide technical support for US Defense Department systems. This decision comes in response to an investigation by ProPublica, which revealed that the tech giant had been using Chinese engineers to maintain Pentagon computer systems. The Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that work on Defense Department cloud services had been outsourced to China-based personnel and that the country would have "no involvement whatsoever" with the department's systems going forward [2].

Microsoft has made changes to its support for US Government customers to ensure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance. The company's chief communications officer, Frank Shaw, stated that the changes were made in response to concerns raised earlier this week [3].

Earlier on Friday, Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the chamber's intelligence committee and also serves on its armed services committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Microsoft's reported practices. Cotton asked the U.S. military for a list of contractors that use Chinese personnel and more information on how U.S. "digital escorts" are trained to detect suspicious activity [2].

Hegseth posted a video on X on Friday evening, stating, "it turns out that some tech companies have been using cheap Chinese labor to assist with DoD cloud services. This is obviously unacceptable, especially in today's digital threat environment." He added, "At my direction, the department will... initiate — as fast as we can — a two-week review, or faster, to make sure that what we uncovered isn't happening anywhere else across the DoD" [2].

Microsoft, a major contractor to the U.S. government, has had its systems breached by Chinese and Russian hackers. The company told ProPublica it disclosed its practices to the U.S. government during an authorization process [2].

The investigation by ProPublica has sparked questions about the security risks associated with using Chinese engineers to support US military systems. The U.S. government recognizes that China's cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States [2].

References:
[1] https://www.barrons.com/news/microsoft-halts-china-based-tech-support-for-pentagon-systems-fefecf54
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/microsoft-stop-using-engineers-china-tech-support-us-military-hegseth-orders-2025-07-18/
[3] https://business.inquirer.net/536609/microsoft-halts-china-based-tech-support-for-pentagon-systems