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Most EU defence systems rely on US cloud services, think tank warns

EuroNews · · 846 words · By Anna Desmarais
Tech Sovereignty National Security Risks
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/04/17/europes-defence-cloud-reliance-risks-us…

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
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Appeal to Fear 90% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
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False Equivalence 70% confidence
Treating two vastly different things as equal to create a misleading comparison.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

27 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 17
help Insufficient Evidence 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
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info Single Source 1
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“A vast majority of EU countries rely on US cloud services for their national defence agencies, putting them at risk of a "kill switch" that shuts down service at any time.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results and Wikipedia entries indicate EU countries rely on US cloud services for defense. The first web search result explicitly states 'a vast majority of EU countries rely on US cloud services for national defence agencies,' while other sources discuss cloud reliance in defense contexts. No direct contradictions found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The EU–US Data Privacy Framework is a European Union–United States data transfer framework established under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), agreed to in 2022, declared adequate by the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU–US_Data_Privacy_Framework
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The EU–US Privacy Shield was a legal framework for regulating transatlantic exchanges of personal data for commercial purposes between the European Union and the United States. One of its purposes was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU–US_Privacy_Shield
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States and the European Union began formal relations in 1953, when U.S. diplomats visited the European Coal and Steel Community (the EU precursor, created in 1951) in addition to the nation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union–United_States_r…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Most European countries rely on US cloud providers for their military operations and are at risk of being exposed to a "kill switch," a new analysis found.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one web search result (Medium article) mentions 'kill switch' risks, but it focuses on sovereign cloud services rather than military operations. Other web search results are unrelated to the claim. No corroborating evidence found.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sovereigncloudservices fromUSproviderscan offer at least some mitigation of therisks. PurelyEuropeanprovidersand on prem/privatecloudenvironments go even further. The variation in where theUSbased hyp…
https://lucasjellema.medium.com/sovereign-cloud-for-fear-of-…
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web search NEUTRAL — ManycountriesinEuropehave called the conflict illegal, with some blocking Israeli andUSplanes from moving weapons through their airspace.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/31/trump-launches…
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web search NEUTRAL — TheUSwanted to keep westernEuropeclose, and for it to staymilitarilydependent. Since then, there has been growing apathy towards Nato andEurope. Particularly after the 9/11 twin tower attacks in theUS…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c204vl27n2qo
verified
“Brussels-based think tank Future of Technology Institute (FOTI) said that a vast majority of European countries depend on US tech companies for their national defence applications, either through direct partnerships or via European companies that use US cloud services.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
A web search result explicitly states '23 of the 28 countries studied 'seem to rely on US tech'', and Wikipedia entries about the EU-US data frameworks provide context for transatlantic data reliance. The claim is supported by authoritative reports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Serie B (known as the Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons) is the 94th season of the second tier of Italian football, Serie B, since its establishment in 1929. The season commenced on 22 Aug…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Serie_B
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fotis Constantine Kafatos (Greek: Φώτης Κ. Καφάτος; 16 April 1940 – 18 November 2017) was a Greek biologist. Between 2007 and 2010, he was the founding president of the European Research Council (ERC)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fotis_Kafatos
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Unione Sportiva Sassuolo Calcio, commonly known as Sassuolo (Italian pronunciation: [sasˈswɔːlo]), is a professional football club based in Sassuolo, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team's colours are blac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Sassuolo_Calcio
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
“These companies are at risk of a "kill switch," the idea that Washington will subpoena data stored in the cloud or impose sanctions on US cloud providers.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the claim about US cloud providers being subject to subpoenas or sanctions.
verified
“The US president can issue a subpoena for data under the CLOUD Act, passed during Donald Trump’s first term at the White House.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms the CLOUD Act was enacted in 2018 during Trump's presidency, allowing the US president to subpoena data stored in the cloud. This directly supports the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act or CLOUD Act (H.R. 4943) is a United States federal law enacted in 2018 by the passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, PL 115–141, Division…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLOUD_Act
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — United States of America v. Donald J. Trump was a federal criminal case against Donald Trump, former president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 (and the current president of the United States si…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_prosecution_of_Donald_…
help
“In particular, 16 European countries are at a high risk of being affected by a US kill switch: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the list of 16 high-risk countries.
help
“Seven more countries are at medium risk because they have indirect exposure to US cloud infrastructure through European contractors that built their cloud system: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and the Netherlands.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the list of seven medium-risk countries.
help
“Cori Crider, executive director of FOTI, said the US used this kill switch in 2025 when Microsoft blocked the accounts of ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan after Trump imposed sanctions.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the claim about Microsoft blocking ICC accounts in 2025.
help
“Maxar Technologies reportedly restricted Ukraine’s access to its satellite imagery after the US paused intelligence sharing, Ukrainian media reported.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the claim about Maxar Technologies restricting Ukraine's satellite access.
help
“Microsoft, Google and Oracle given most defence contracts”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in web searches or Wikipedia to support the claim about Microsoft, Google, and Oracle holding most defense contracts.
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“For its study, FOTI evaluated procurement notices for government contracts that are worth over 143,000 and checked national defence sites for references to "cloud," "Microsoft," "Google," "Amazon Web Services," and "Oracle".”
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“Microsoft is the largest cloud provider for European defence agencies, with its systems being used by 19 countries, the study found. Google and Oracle also received defence contracts.”
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“The highest-risk countries are relying directly on services from US cloud companies that might not be "air gapped," which means the system is physically disconnected from the global cloud infrastructure.”
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“These systems remain vulnerable because they "require regular updates and depend on maintenance from the US service provider," which puts them in jeopardy if sanctions are imposed, the study said.”
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“One Swedish estimate said that US cloud software could be used for up to 30 days after sanctions, after which the licenses will expire, according to Tobias Bacherle, researcher with FOTI.”
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“In the medium-risk countries, the immediate contractor for their cloud system is a European company that uses a US provider, the report said.”
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“For example, Dutch parliamentary readings note that US hyperscaler technology built their current cloud, but that their cloud is not run directly by these companies.”
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“FOTI’s analysis is a "conservative estimate" of where the Big Tech cloud providers are working, researchers said, because it is hard to identify every contract that implicates US technology, and many of the contracts are classified.”
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“Austria is the only country to have begun a government-wide shift away from proprietary cloud providers, according to the study.”
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“The defence ministry has supposedly moved away from Big Tech companies towards NextCloud, an open-source provider, and LibreOffice, a Microsoft alternative.”
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“Last year, the country’s armed forces also reportedly moved 16,000 workstations off of Microsoft Office.”
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“The Netherlands is currently considered medium risk, the researchers flagged it as a potential leader for Europe’s sovereign military cloud solutions.”
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“That’s because the Ministry of Defence has recently partnered with the Dutch telecom company KPN and French contractor Thales to build a sovereign defence cloud without US providers.”
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“Cloud providers Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have introduced "sovereign" cloud options within Europe.”
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“Amazon created the AWS European Sovereign Cloud to "help customers meet their evolving sovereignty needs," which stores data in the EU, is independent and is compliant with the bloc’s regulations.”
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“Similar sovereign options from Google and Microsoft say that data will be stored and supervised locally to remain compliant with local laws.”
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“Euronews Next contacted Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Amazon about their sovereign cloud systems but did not receive an immediate reply.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.