U.S. Senator seeks clarity on Microsoft’s Chinese staff in defence contracts

Senator Tom Cotton has asked the U.S. Defence Department for details on Microsoft’s reported use of Chinese engineers to help maintain military cloud computing systems.

The request follows a recent report that described how the engineers, based in China, worked under the supervision of U.S. subcontractors with security clearances.

Cotton, who leads the Senate intelligence committee and sits on the armed services committee, sent a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting a list of all military contractors using Chinese personnel. He also asked for information on how U.S. digital escorts are trained to detect security risks.

The report said Microsoft uses Chinese engineers to work on sensitive systems and that many of the U.S. supervisors lack the technical skills to fully assess their work. Microsoft told the government about this practice during its system authorization process.

Cotton warned in his letter that China’s cyber capabilities remain one of the top threats to the United States. He said the military must protect its systems from risks in the supply chain, including those linked to subcontractors.