Pete Hegseth Terminates Obama-Era Program That Gave Chinese Nationals Access to DoD Cloud Systems
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the immediate termination of a long-running Pentagon program that allowed Chinese coders to access sensitive Department of Defense (DoD) cloud systems — a policy quietly maintained under the Obama and Biden administrations.
Program Known as “Digital Escorts”
In a video statement, Hegseth revealed that the program, known as “Digital Escorts,” had enabled Chinese nationals — working for Microsoft — to contribute to DoD cloud infrastructure under remote supervision by U.S. contractors.
“This program was designed to comply with contracting rules, but it exposed the Department to unacceptable risk,” Hegseth said. “If you’re thinking ‘America First,’ this doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Immediate Review and Findings
After learning of the program last month, Hegseth launched an internal investigation. The conclusion: the potential benefits of the arrangement were far outweighed by the national security risks posed by foreign access to U.S. defense systems.
“The use of Chinese nationals to service Department of Defense cloud environments? It’s over,” Hegseth declared. “We’ve issued a formal letter of concern to Microsoft and are requiring a third-party audit of the entire Digital Escorts program — including every line of code submitted by those individuals.”
Formal Action Taken
In addition to ending the program, the Pentagon has opened a broader investigation into Microsoft’s role and into all Chinese nationals who participated in the program. Hegseth emphasized the importance of determining whether any malicious or unauthorized code had been introduced.
“Did they put anything in the code that we didn’t know about? We’re going to find out,” he said. “This never should have happened in the first place.”
Commitment to U.S. Security
Hegseth reiterated that the Trump administration is committed to ensuring vendors who work with the Department of Defense prioritize national security over profit.
“We expect vendors doing business with the DoD to put American security first,” he said. “Common sense tells you this kind of program never should’ve existed — and under our watch, it no longer will.”
The move is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to eliminate foreign access to U.S. government systems and reinforce strict security measures across all departments.
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