Most European countries rely on US-based cloud providers for critical military operations, leaving them vulnerable to a potential "kill switch" that could cut off access to essential defence data, according to a report by the Brussels-based Future of Technology Institute (FOTI). The analysis identifies 16 nations at high risk, including Germany, Poland, Finland, and the United Kingdom, due to their direct dependence on American tech firms like Microsoft, Google, and Oracle for national defence cloud systems. Seven others, including France, Italy, and Spain, face medium risk because they use European contractors that rely on US cloud infrastructure. The concern stems from the US CLOUD Act, enacted during Donald Trump's presidency, which allows the US government to subpoena data stored on American-owned platforms—even if the data belongs to foreign governments. FOTI executive director Cori Crider cited a 2025 incident in which Microsoft blocked the account of International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan following US sanctions as evidence the risk is real, not theoretical. Another case involved Maxar Technologies restricting Ukraine's access to satellite imagery after a US intelligence pause. Systems in high-risk countries are not "air gapped," meaning they remain connected to global networks and require updates from US providers, making them susceptible to disruption. A Swedish assessment cited by FOTI researcher Tobias Bacherle suggests such systems may function for up to 30 days after sanctions before licenses expire. Austria is the only country identified as moving away from US hyperscalers, having transitioned its defence ministry to open-source platforms like NextCloud and LibreOffice, including shifting 16,000 military workstations off Microsoft Office. FOTI's findings are considered a conservative estimate, as many defence contracts involving US technology are classified. The institute could not assess the vulnerability levels of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, and Sweden due to insufficient data. Euronews Next reached out to Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon for comment but received no immediate response.
The idea that Europe's military infrastructure could be disabled by a US legal order cuts against the assumption of allied technological trust, exposing a quiet dependency that has grown unchecked for years. Countries like Germany and Poland rely directly on Microsoft and Oracle, meaning a shift in Washington's political climate—such as a return of Trump-era policies—could instantly compromise operational capabilities, not through cyberattack, but through lawful corporate compliance. This is not hypothetical: the 2025 blocking of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan's Microsoft account proves the mechanism exists and has been used.
The broader pattern reflects how digital sovereignty has lagged behind geopolitical fragmentation, with even NATO allies embedded in a tech architecture controlled by foreign powers. As cloud infrastructure becomes as strategic as oil or shipping lanes, reliance on US providers places European defence planning at the mercy of American legislation.
For developing nations, this underscores how digital dependency can become a national security liability when global powers assert control over foundational technologies. No immediate shift is expected, but Austria's move to open-source systems offers a model others may now consider.
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