Senate Intelligence Chair Cotton Urges Pentagon Ban on Noncitizen System Access

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is urging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to immediately ban non-U.S. citizens from accessing U.S. military computer systems, citing cybersecurity risks highlighted by a ProPublica investigation revealing China-based engineers maintaining Department of Defense systems. Cotton praises Hegseth's previous statements agreeing foreign engineers should never be allowed access but insists on an immediate policy change and plans to introduce legislation to codify this ban in the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Cotton emphasizes that current Pentagon policies allow non-U.S. citizens access under certain conditions, which he believes must be closed permanently, regardless of U.S. citizen supervision. The senator has also raised concerns about the CEO of Intel's investments in Chinese tech firms linked to the Chinese military, underscoring broader security risks. Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen echoes similar concerns regarding Microsoft’s contracts and Pentagon cybersecurity. Hegseth has responded affirmatively, indicating his team is investigating and has taken steps to remove Chinese involvement from Pentagon cloud services.