Pentagon Bars Chinese Nationals from Defense Systems

In a time when America must stand tall and strong, the Trump administration has taken another bold step to protect our national security. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that Chinese nationals will no longer be allowed to work on the Pentagon’s cloud systems. This decision is not only wise—it is necessary.

For too long, under past administrations like Obama and Biden, our defense systems were quietly being handled by foreign hands. Microsoft had a program called the “digital escort” system, where Chinese nationals wrote code for the Department of Defense. They were supposedly monitored by American contractors, but no amount of remote supervision can erase the danger of trusting our nation’s most sensitive data to those loyal to a foreign power—especially one as hostile as communist China.

Let us be clear: China is not our friend. The Chinese Communist Party seeks to undermine America at every turn, whether through spying, economic manipulation, or cyber warfare. Allowing their citizens access to our military systems was like opening the gates of a fortress and hoping the enemy would behave.

Thankfully, this reckless policy is now over. Hegseth made it clear in his statement: “The use of Chinese nationals to serve the Department of Defense’s cloud environment—it’s over.” That is the kind of leadership we need. That is putting America First.

This isn’t just about one company or one program. It’s about the principle of trust. Any company that wants to do business with the U.S. Department of Defense must put our national security ahead of profit. That’s not a suggestion—it’s a requirement. When American companies chase dollars by hiring cheaper labor from overseas, they don’t just hurt American workers. They put the entire country at risk.

To make sure this never happens again, the Department of Defense is launching two major efforts. First, there will be a third-party audit of Microsoft’s operations in China. This audit will look at every bit of code written by Chinese nationals to see if anything was slipped in that could harm us. Second, the DOD is running its own investigation into the risks caused by this old program. They want to know exactly what damage might have been done and how to prevent it in the future.

Secretary Hegseth asked a critical question: “Did they put anything in the code that we didn’t know about?” That is a question every American should be asking. We trust our military to protect us, and we should never allow foreign powers to have even the smallest window into those systems.

From now on, all companies that provide software to the Department of Defense must remove any foreign nationals from those roles. This is a long-overdue correction to a dangerous mistake made by globalist-minded leaders who put international cooperation ahead of national safety.

Microsoft, for its part, has started to backtrack. In July, the company said it would stop using China-based engineers for DOD work. This only happened after a major investigation and after Senator Tom Cotton raised the alarm. It’s a shame it took public exposure to force action, but it goes to show how important vigilance and accountability are.

We must never forget that our enemies are watching. They look for cracks in our armor, and they try to exploit our weaknesses. But under the Trump administration, America is no longer asleep at the wheel. We are awake, alert, and taking action to defend this great nation.

This change is more than just a policy update. It is a return to common sense. It is a signal to the world that America will no longer compromise its safety for the sake of cheap labor or corporate gain. We are putting America first—where it belongs.

Let this be a lesson to every company and every citizen: loyalty to this country matters. And in these uncertain times, we must stand together, strong and unshaken, with our eyes wide open and our hearts rooted in the love of this land.