In light of a recent investigation by Pro Publica revealing Microsoft’s utilization of Chinese engineers to manage cloud computing systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company has announced corrective measures to prevent this practice in the future.
The previous system involved the use of “digital escorts” to oversee the work of engineers in China. However, these escorts, who were U.S. citizens with security clearances, were sometimes lacking in technical expertise required to effectively supervise the engineers, according to Pro Publica.
Following the publication of the report, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his stance on Twitter, emphasizing that foreign engineers, regardless of their nationality, should not have access to or maintain DoD systems.
Responding to the concerns raised, Microsoft’s chief communications officer, Frank X. Shaw, reassured the public that measures have been implemented to ensure that China-based engineering teams are no longer involved in providing technical support for DoD Government cloud services.
