Latest news with #USDefenseDepartment
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
US Lawmaker Presses Defense For Details On Microsoft's Chinese Engineers
San Francisco: A US lawmaker on Thursday pressed the US Defense Department for further details on what information the US military shared with Chinese engineers as part of a cloud computing services contract with Microsoft. After a report by investigative journalism publication ProPublica, Microsoft last week said it has ended the practice of using China-based engineers to provide technical support to the US military under the supervision of US "digital escorts" who may not have had the expertise to assess whether the work was a cybersecurity threat. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a two-week review to ensure other contractors were not employing the same practices. In a letter seen by Reuters, US Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, asked Hegseth to provide details to lawmakers on what information Chinese engineers accessed and to disclose "the discovery of potential security incidents or malicious events that have already occurred or are likely to occur." In addition, Cotton asked whether Microsoft had been required to perform self-audits of the program and if so, the results of those audits. "While I applaud your actions, I am concerned that the Department (of Defense) is hampered by agreements and practices unwisely adopted by your predecessors, including contracts and oversight processes that fail to account for the growing Chinese threat," Cotton wrote in the letter.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
US lawmaker presses for details of Pentagon use of Chinese engineers under Microsoft deal
A US lawmaker on Thursday pressed the US Defense Department for further details on what information the US military shared with Chinese engineers as part of a cloud computing services contract with Microsoft After a report by investigative journalism publication ProPublica, Microsoft last week said it has ended the practice of using China-based engineers to provide technical support to the US military under the supervision of US "digital escorts" who may not have had the expertise to assess whether the work was a cybersecurity Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a two-week review to ensure other contractors were not employing the same a letter seen by Reuters, US Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, asked Hegseth to provide details to lawmakers on what information Chinese engineers accessed and to disclose "the discovery of potential security incidents or malicious events that have already occurred or are likely to occur."In addition, Cotton asked whether Microsoft had been required to perform self-audits of the program and if so, the results of those audits."While I applaud your actions, I am concerned that the Department (of Defense) is hampered by agreements and practices unwisely adopted by your predecessors, including contracts and oversight processes that fail to account for the growing Chinese threat," Cotton wrote in the letter.
Perth Now
18-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Rudd sure US issues with sub contract will be resolved
Australia's ambassador to Washington, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, says his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Defense Department's review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Kevin Rudd made the comment at the Aspen Security Forum and stressed his close relationship with Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defence for policy, who initiated the review, and the longstanding US-Australia defence alliance. "We're working with Bridge and the team on the AUKUS review ... and we are confident that we'll work our way through each and every one of the issues which he has raised in the context of this internal Defense Department review," Rudd said, referring to Colby. "Bridge has been around my place a lot of times, and so we have known each other for a long period of time, and that's why I'm confident, quite apart from the mature relationship within our two defence establishments ... that we'll work our way through this stuff." Rudd said the US-Australia alliance had endured through 15 presidents and 15 prime ministers from different parties. In 2023, the United States, Australia, and Britain unveiled details of the AUKUS plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s, part of efforts to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. It is Australia's biggest ever defence project. The Pentagon said in June it was reviewing AUKUS to ensure it was "aligned with the President's America First agenda," amid concerns about the ability of the US to meet its own submarine needs and whether Australia's vessels would be used in support of US policy in the future. On Sunday, Australia's Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy responded to a report that the Pentagon has pressed Australia to clarify what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan by saying Australia would not commit troops in advance to any conflict. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also rebuffed US requests to commit to lifting defence spending from two per cent to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product, saying instead Australia would spend what was needed for its defence.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion, says Zelenskyy
KYIV, Ukraine -- A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country's weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks. Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine The Swiss Defence Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the U.S. Defense Department that it will 'reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.' It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv. Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected. The need to adequately arm Ukraine's military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive after three years of war and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles. It remains unclear when the promised U.S.-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, might reach Ukraine. Trump has agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries. No timeframe for foreign weapons in Ukraine The U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he couldn't give a timeframe for when Ukraine might get extra foreign weapons. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can't verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it's going to be an ongoing movement,' he told reporters in Brussels. 'The plan is that there will be American-made defence equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,' he said. British Defence Secretary John Healey said Thursday he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will chair a meeting of Ukraine's allies on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's weapons plans. Healey said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told The Associated Press Thursday that 'preparations are underway' for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working 'very closely' with Germany to transfer Patriot systems. Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to 'move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.' He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified. German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Muller said Wednesday he couldn't confirm that anything is currently on its way to Ukraine. Rutte, the NATO chief, said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is co-ordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, 'with more expected to follow.' Ukraine now makes 40% of its own weapons Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40 per cent of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelenskyy. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide -- and how quickly -- Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil. 'What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia's territory -- back to where the war was brought from,' Zelenskyy said late Wednesday in his nightly video address. 'We must reach the level of 50 per cent Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government's work by expanding our domestic production.' Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia. Russian air defences shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country's defence ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said. In other developments: Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country's fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said. At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said. The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides. ------ By Volodymyr Yurchuk And Emma Burrows Burrows reported from Wiesbaden, Germany. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Ukraine to boost domestic arms production to counter Russia's invasion
A newly approved Ukrainian government is set to rapidly expand the country's domestic arms production to meet half of its weaponry needs within six months as it strives to counter Russia's invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday. In parallel, Switzerland announced that the U.S. Defense Department had notified it that Washington is redirecting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to assist Ukraine, which urgently needs to bolster its defense against intensifying Russian aerial strikes. The Swiss Defense Ministry, which had placed an order for five Patriot systems in 2022, confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. Defense Department informed it that it will 'reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.' It remains unclear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots will be sent directly to Ukraine or if they will replace systems in other European countries that could be donated to Kyiv. The delivery of the systems, worth billions of dollars, had been scheduled to start in 2027 and conclude in 2028, but the Swiss government revealed that Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday. The number of systems affected remains uncertain. The urgency of arming Ukraine's military grows as Russia intensifies its summer offensive, after three years of conflict, launching waves of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles on Ukrainian cities. The timeline for when the promised U.S.-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, will arrive in Ukraine remains unclear. Former President Trump had agreed to send the weapons, but European nations are covering the cost. U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, remarked that he could not provide a specific timeframe for when Ukraine might receive additional foreign weapons. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can't verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it's going to be an ongoing movement,' he stated in Brussels. 'The plan is that there will be American-made defense equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,' he added. On Thursday, British Defense Secretary John Healey announced that he and German counterpart Boris Pistorius will co-chair a meeting of Ukraine's allies on Monday to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's weapons plans. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO head Mark Rutte are expected to attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said on Thursday that "preparations are underway" for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is collaborating "very closely" with Germany on the transfer of Patriot systems. Speaking at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, Grynkewich revealed that he had been instructed to "move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible" and noted that the exact number of weapons being transferred is classified. A spokesperson from the German Defense Ministry, Mitko Müller, stated on Wednesday that he could not confirm whether any weapons were currently on their way to Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on Monday in Washington that the alliance is coordinating military support, with funding from European and Canadian allies. He highlighted commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada, with further commitments anticipated. Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for nearly 40% of the weapons used by its military. Given the uncertainty surrounding the volume and speed of additional Western weapons shipments, Ukraine is eager to increase its domestic output and expand its operations against Russian targets. 'What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia's territory - back to where the war was brought from,' Zelenskyy emphasized in his late Wednesday video address. 'We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government's work by expanding our domestic production,' he added. Ukraine has also developed long-range drones to carry out deep strikes inside Russian territory. Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defense ministry reported Thursday. The drone attack grounded flights at Moscow and St. Petersburg airports, although most of the drones were destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk. In retaliation, Russia launched 64 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least one person, according to the Ukrainian air force. The assault focused on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region.
