Senator’s Appeal to Protect Pentagon from Foreign Access
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has reached out to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, advocating for stronger measures to safeguard Pentagon systems from foreign individuals.
In his letter, Cotton emphasized the need to address the risks posed by China’s Communist Party to the Department of Defense (DOD) systems and supply chains. He acknowledged the ongoing efforts to restrict access for Chinese engineers, specifically mentioning initiatives to identify alternative “digital escorts” programs.
Continuing his message, he pointed out:
The current DOD policy permits non-US citizens to access its systems, which is concerning. I believe this needs urgent attention. Foreigners should not have access to the DOD, regardless of supervision by US citizens. The Secretary of Defense has the authority to implement these necessary policy changes immediately, and I recommend taking action swiftly.
As you work on reforming DOD policy, I will coordinate with my colleagues to ensure that these changes are made permanent. Congress must establish a ban on non-US citizens accessing DOD systems under any circumstances and ensure the DOD updates its policies accordingly.
Cotton also expressed his frustrations regarding Microsoft’s operations in China. He indicated that he would seek a briefing from the DOD regarding vulnerabilities linked to cloud contracts and software services, requesting this information by September 5th. This concern arose after revelations that Microsoft had employed Chinese engineers for the DOD’s computer systems, often with minimal oversight from US personnel.
In response to these issues, Microsoft has stated that it has revised its protocols to prevent engineers based in China from using Azure Cloud services to support US defense clients.
