The Commission introduced Element Pro over the summer as a “sovereign back-up to Teams,” according to an internal staff memo seen by POLITICO. The platform is intended to provide a fallback for Commission communications if U.S.-based Teams becomes unavailable.While Teams remains the Commission’s main communications tool, Element Pro is an “internal back-up ... that helps ensure our business continuity” in the event of a “disruption,” the memo says.But three officials have questioned why the Commission needs the new system — and whether it works well enough to serve as a genuine backup.“I don’t understand the added value here,” one official wrote on an internal staff message board, seen by POLITICO. Another described the tool as “absolute shit.”A third official said that, judging matters on how well Element Pro works compared to Teams, the U.S. would “instantly win the war” if it ever decided to switch off its technology. All the officials were granted anonymity to speak freely.