Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just dropped a bombshell that’s got the national security crowd buzzing with approval.
The Hill reported that Hegseth has shut down a program allowing Chinese nationals to serve as “digital escorts” on Department of Defense (DOD) cloud systems, citing glaring risks to America’s safety, while also launching reviews to dig into potential vulnerabilities and demanding that vendors like Microsoft put country before profit.
For years, under a setup modeled by Microsoft, Chinese nationals were permitted to work on sensitive DOD cloud systems, supposedly overseen by remote U.S. contractors.
Now, imagine the shock when it turns out even the Defense Information Systems Agency was caught flat-footed, with spokesperson Deven King admitting to ProPublica, “Literally no one seems to know anything about this.”
That’s right—nobody knew, and yet here we were, handing over access to our military’s digital backbone, which is about as sensible as leaving your front door wide open in a rough neighborhood.
Hegseth didn’t mince words when he announced the program’s termination, declaring on social platform X, “So the use of Chinese nationals to service Department of Defense cloud systems, it’s over.”
Let’s be real—handing over the keys to our defense systems to foreign nationals from a nation often at odds with U.S. interests isn’t just a lapse; it’s a head-scratcher that defies basic logic.
The Defense Secretary added, “I mean, if you’re thinking America first and common sense, this doesn’t pass either of those tests.” Well said, sir—most Americans would agree that protecting our nation shouldn’t be a debatable “maybe.”
Not stopping at just ending the program, Hegseth has kicked off a formal review to assess how deep this vulnerability goes, promising to share initial findings soon.
He’s also tasked Microsoft with conducting a no-cost review to pinpoint any weak spots in their so-called “digital escort” program, while a separate internal DOD review and a third-party assessment are underway to scrutinize every line of code touched by Chinese nationals.
As Hegseth put it, “These investigations will help us determine the impact of this digital escort workaround.” It’s high time we figure out what’s been slipped into our systems under the radar.
Beyond the reviews, Hegseth is holding software vendors’ feet to the fire, mandating that all DOD contractors identify and remove any inappropriate content—yes, even pornography—from systems, while ensuring no China-based teams touch our cloud infrastructure.
He didn’t hold back, stating, “We expect vendors doing business with the Department of Defense to put U.S. national security ahead of profit maximization.”
It’s a polite but pointed reminder that dollars shouldn’t trump duty when it comes to safeguarding America.
A Microsoft spokesperson responded to The Warehouse, saying, “The Department has terminated the use of any China-based teams for DoD cloud systems, and we will continue to collaborate with the US Government to ensure we are meeting their needs.”
That’s a start, but let’s hope the commitment to security isn’t just lip service in the face of scrutiny.