Microsoft Announces Cessation of Collaboration with Chinese Engineers on Department of Defense Projects

Following a Pro Publica report highlighting that Microsoft had employed engineers in China to support cloud computing systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company announced new measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

The existing system reportedly used “digital escorts” to monitor the engineers located in China. However, Pro Publica pointed out that these escorts — U.S. citizens with security clearances — often lacked the technical expertise required to supervise the engineers effectively.

In response to the findings, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared on X, “Foreign engineers — from any country, including, of course, China — should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access DoD systems.”

On Friday, Microsoft’s chief communications officer, Frank X. Shaw, addressed the issue: “In response to the concerns raised earlier this week about U.S.-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has implemented changes to our support for U.S. Government customers to ensure that no engineering teams based in China are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services.”