Senators Warn: US Military Phone Security Gaps Leave Troops Vulnerable to Foreign Spies
Bipartisan Concern Over DOD’s Communication Vulnerabilities
Two U.S. senators are raising alarms about the Department of Defense’s (DOD) failure to adequately secure military communications against foreign espionage. This comes as China’s sophisticated hacking campaigns continue targeting American telecommunications infrastructure.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon) and Republican Senator Eric Schmitt (Missouri) highlight that the DOD still relies on:
- Outdated landline systems
- Unencrypted cellular calls and texts
- Vulnerable legacy protocols (SS7 and Diameter)
These outdated systems leave military personnel exposed to interception by foreign intelligence agencies.
The Chinese Espionage Threat
The senators specifically point to Salt Typhoon, a Chinese government hacking group recently implicated in breaching major U.S. telecom providers including AT&T and Verizon. These breaches enabled surveillance of American communications.
In a bipartisan letter to the DOD’s inspector general, the senators state:
“DOD’s failure to secure its unclassified voice, video, and text communications with end-to-end encryption technology has left it needlessly vulnerable to foreign espionage.”
Critical Security Flaws in Telecom Infrastructure
The senators identify two major vulnerabilities:
- SS7 Protocol: A 50-year-old call routing system still used globally that’s routinely exploited for espionage
- Diameter Protocol: SS7’s successor that maintains similar security weaknesses
Despite these known risks, the DOD continues allowing:
- SS7/Diameter traffic in high-risk countries (China, Russia)
- Reliance on telecom providers’ unaudited security assessments
Call for Immediate Action
Wyden and Schmitt demand the DOD:
- Renegotiate contracts with telecom providers to mandate stronger cybersecurity
- Require end-to-end encryption as standard practice
- Gain access to third-party security audits currently withheld as privileged
The senators cite two DOD whitepapers (July and October 2024) that acknowledge these vulnerabilities but reveal inadequate corrective measures.
DOD’s Concerning Admissions
The DOD Chief Information Officer confirmed:
- SS7/Diameter protocols remain fundamentally insecure
- The department hasn’t conducted independent security audits
- Telecom providers’ audit reports remain inaccessible due to privilege claims
- No restrictions on vulnerable protocols in adversarial nations
Jeffrey Castro, DOD Inspector General spokesperson, confirmed receipt of the letter and stated the office is reviewing the concerns.
Why This Matters Now
With rising geopolitical tensions and sophisticated cyber threats, securing military communications has never been more critical. The senators’ bipartisan push highlights an urgent need for modernization to protect national security interests and service members’ privacy.
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