On Taxpayers’ Dime, Pentagon Buys Chinese Computers Vulnerable to Hacking

Last year, the Department of Defense (DoD) bought thousands of computer products and other electronics with KNOWN cybersecurity risks, including equipment from a company with connections to…the Chinese government.

For more than a decade, government agencies—including DoD’s own Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Directorate—have repeatedly issued warnings about the dangers of using technology from the largest computer company in China.

And if these repeated warnings weren’t enough, the Pentagon’s own Inspector General (OIG) said this compromises critical national security missions.

But the kicker? The risky equipment isn’t cheap.

DoD spent more than $30 million purchasing thousands of electronic products vulnerable to cyberattacks that are manufactured by Chinese companies, including one with connections to the communist regime’s military and cyberespionage programs.

So let’s recap: we’re spending tens of millions of YOUR tax dollars on high tech equipment with known cybersecurity risks.

The Pentagon needs to pull the plug on these products. Using compromised equipment that is vulnerable to cyberattacks just does not compute.

August Squeal Award: the Pentagon

For these reasons, I am awarding my August Squeal Award to the Pentagon for wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer money on computers and other equipment that can be exploited by our adversaries.

And I’m also calling on DoD to assess and mitigate the risk of any such high-risk equipment currently in use and prohibit the purchase of any additional technology with cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

With the new and evolving threats we face today, we need to stay ahead of the curve with our technology and cyber. As the chairman the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, this is an issue I’m especially concerned about.

When it comes to our nation’s defense and security, let’s make sure our tax dollars are being used in the most productive way possible. We can’t afford even a dime to go to waste.

Do you have an example of government waste or inefficiencies that I should take a look at? Send me an email by clicking here.

Thank you!