Microsoft bans China-based engineers from all Pentagon cloud contracts

Microsoft on Friday said it will stop using China-based engineers to provide technical assistance to the US military after a report in investigative journalism outlet ProPublica sparked questions from a US senator and prompted defense secretary Pete Hegseth to order a two-week review of Pentagon cloud deals.

The report detailed Microsoft’s use of Chinese engineers to work on US military cloud computing systems under the supervision of US “digital escorts” hired through subcontractors who have security clearances but often lacked the technical skills to assess whether the work of the Chinese engineers posed a cybersecurity threat.