Last month, Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton raised concerns about the fact that Microsoft is using Chinese-based engineers to help maintain Department of Defense computer systems.

That move brought a definitive response from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who recently announced that the practice is being shut down. 

Hegseth: "It's over"

According to Breitbart, Hegseth made that announcement in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, saying, "The use of Chinese nationals to service Department of Defense cloud environments -- it’s over."

The use of Chinese Nationals to service Department of Defense cloud environments is over. pic.twitter.com/jZdcHwKho2

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) August 27, 2025

"We've issued a formal letter of concern to Microsoft documenting this breach of trust, and we’re requiring a third-party audit of Microsoft’s digital escort program, including the code and the submissions by Chinese nationals. This audit will be free of charge for U.S. taxpayers," he stressed.

“We expect vendors doing business with the Department of Defense to put U.S. national security ahead of profit maximization,” Hegseth continued.

"This never should have happened in the first place, but once we found out about it, we’ve attacked it aggressively from the beginning. We’re going to follow through to make sure this is addressed," he went on to add.

"Digital escorts" deemed unqualified

Breitbart noted how Cotton sent a letter to the Defense secretary which cited an investigation which had been carried out by a ProPublica.

ProPublica detailed how the Defense Department relies on Americans with security clearances to act as "digital escorts" who oversee Chinese engineers.

However, the report found that such figures typically lack the technical know-how required to exercise meaningful oversight.

Many digital escorts are former military personnel who posses far less coding experience than the Chinese engineers they have been tasked with supervising.

Cotton highlights "aggressive and dangerous threats"

"Chinese state-sponsored hacking campaigns have long targeted U.S. officials through Microsoft systems. Now Microsoft is allegedly relying on U.S. citizens as ‘digital escorts’ to supervise these Chinese engineers’ activities on DoD systems," Cotton wrote.

"While this arrangement technically meets the requirement that U.S. citizens handle sensitive data, digital escorts often do not have the technical training or expertise needed to catch malicious code or suspicious behavior," the senator pointed out.

"The U.S. government recognizes that China’s cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States, as evidenced by infiltration of our critical infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and supply chains," he observed.