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Microsoft Bans China-Based Engineers from US Defense Cloud Services Amid Security Concerns

Cloud

Business Honor
22 July, 2025

Move follows cybersecurity fears over foreign labor supporting Pentagon’s sensitive cloud infrastructure via Azure.

Microsoft has officially updated its support policy for US government and Department of Defense (DoD) cloud services, announcing that no China-based engineers will be involved in providing technical assistance. This decision was made to address rising concerns about national security and cyber threats linked to foreign labor. The announcement came after a ProPublica report revealed that Microsoft had used engineers based in China to support US military cloud systems via its Azure platform. The report claimed that these engineers were supervised by US-based employees with less technical experience, raising alarms about potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

In response, Microsoft’s Chief Communications Officer Frank X. Shaw posted a statement on social media platform X, saying, “Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services.” Following this, US Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, prompting a full review. Hegseth confirmed in a video update that a memo had been signed to investigate whether cheap Chinese labor was being used in other parts of the DoD.

“China will no longer have any involvement whatsoever in our cloud services effective immediately,” said Hegseth. He also directed a review of two weeks to verify that there are no other such security threats elsewhere in the defense networks. The action indicates a strong outcome by Microsoft and the US government to protect sensitive military infrastructure and digital networks. The action indicates how imperative cybersecurity has become in cloud computing and how companies need to ensure safe and transparent procedures while dealing with national defense information.