Mobile Courant

U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Ted Budd have called for an inquiry into the use of a Chinese AI application, DeepSeek, on Department of Defense (DOD) devices. In a letter addressed to Acting Chief Information Officer at the DOD, Leslie A. Beavers, the senators expressed concerns about potential cybersecurity threats arising from this usage.

The senators stated, "We write to express our concern that Department of Defense (DOD) employees accessed the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek on their work devices and, as a result, Chinese servers." They also noted that the issue might not be isolated incidents according to the DoD’s Use of Mobile Applications 2023 report.

Joining Tuberville and Budd in sending this letter were Senators Eric Schmitt and Mark Kelly. The letter emphasizes the need for information regarding potential impacts on the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN).

The request comes in light of findings from the Director of National Intelligence's 2024 Annual Threat Assessment which identified China as "the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S. Government."

The senators are seeking answers by March 4, 2025, hoping to work with the DOD to safeguard networks against ongoing cyber threats.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is part of several committees including Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs.