-The delay in the pentagon project might hurt the U.S. troops and hinder its national security mission, as Amazon is not satisfied.
Amazon and Other Companies interested in JEDI
The pentagon cloud contract entails the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure or JEDI. JEDI is a large United States Department of Defense Cloud Computing contract worth $10 billion. Companies interested in the contract include Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, part of Hitachi data systems, IBM, and Team cloud.
Amazon should get the contract, but the other competing companies had something to say about it. Oracle contested a situation of a conflict of interest between Amazon and the Department of Defense. An employee, Deap Uhbi, worked with Amazon before and after his time in the Department of Defense. They, therefore, put the deal on hold.
Donald Trump ordered that the deal should be on hold before announcing the winner of the contract.
This is to investigate the favoritism criticism complaints towards them. Microsoft later won the contract instead of Amazon.
Jeff Bezos complains that Donald Trump used his power to prevent Amazon from getting the JEDI contract. The Department of Defense awarded Microsoft the contract in October 2019. Amazon Web services have filed a lawsuit challenging the outcome of the deal.
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A Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Microsoft Pentagon Project
Judge Patricia E. Campbell Smith ruled that the Department of Defense cannot proceed with its JEDI contract, at least for the time being. Amazon Web services are suing the Department of Defense for wrongly awarding the JEDI contract to Microsoft.
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Robert Carver said, they were not happy with the day’s ruling. Furthermore, he went on to say that they believed there was unnecessary delay in implementing the modernization strategy of the DoD for the action taken in the litigation.
In addition, he continued by expressing his confidence in their awarding their JEDI cloud contract to Microsoft. While they remained focused on making sure their warfighters get this critical capability as fast as possible with high efficiency.
In a motion to stop the work Microsoft had began with the Department of Defense, Amazon pushed for a hold in work while the underlying bid protest unfolds. In case of a wrong injunction, Amazon will pay a $42 million security bond for damages incurred.
The Department of Defense complains that the delay in the JEDI contract would affect the country’s national security. The Joint Staff’s chief of information, Lt. Gen. Brad Schwedo, wrote a statement. In his statement, they stated that the U.S. could not rely on past technology to have a successful future’s conflict.
Giving the DoD access to an enterprise cloud is the key. One that has elastic computing storage and power is crucial to the national security of the U.S.
Trump has a personal bias against Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Microsoft won the JEDI contract. However, it’s Amazon that stands in the best position to win it.
Amazon claims that Microsoft is an “objectively inferior competitor.” Their legal team is Pushing for President Trump as well as Mark Esper, current Defense Secretary, to be legally deposed as part of the company’s legal challenges.
The company protests that Donald Trump’s actions are done to make a point to his perceived critics or to advance some personal agenda. Robert Carver, the spokesman for the Department of Defense, explains that The request for a hold in work is unnecessary, burdensome, and merely delays getting this vital technology into the hands of the U.S. warfighters.
Previously, Donald Trump made comments on a story from Washington post. He said, “The Amazon Washington Post and three other lowlife reporters, Carol Leonnig, Matt Zapotosky, and Josh Dawsey, came up with a new fake story.” He continued by saying, “the story about himself and Bill Barr had no source, but pure fiction.”
We both deny this story, which they knew before they wrote it. A garbage newspaper!” Trump said.
It is no news that Donald Trump doesn’t like the Amazon Washington Post. However, we cannot jump into full conclusion that this was the reason they lost the contract. However, this is a strong point to draw possible facts.