Pentagon Raises Concerns Over Microsoft's Use of Chinese Nationals

The Pentagon has issued a formal letter expressing concern after discovering that Microsoft employed Chinese nationals to service its cloud environments, described by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a 'breach of trust.'

According to a video statement by Hegseth on social media platform X, a third-party audit will be conducted to scrutinize Microsoft's digital escorts program. This audit will include examining the code and Chinese nationals' submissions.

In response to an investigative report published by ProPublica, Microsoft announced in July that it has terminated the involvement of China-based engineers in providing technical support to the U.S. military, under the supervision of U.S. digital escorts.

(With inputs from agencies.)