Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

19 hours ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

20 hours ago

S&P 500, Nasdaq Near Record Highs as Rate-Cut Bets Creep Up

1 day ago

Bobby Sherman, Easygoing Teen Idol of the 1960s and ’70s, Dies at 81

1 day ago

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

1 day ago

US Supreme Court Backs South Carolina Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood

1 day ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

2 days ago

West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County

2 days ago

Fresno Residents Join Nationwide Fast to Call Attention to Gaza Crisis

2 days ago

Suspect in Bombing at California Fertility Clinic Dies in Federal Custody

3 days ago
Amazon, Microsoft Wage War Over Pentagon's 'War Cloud'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
July 9, 2019

Share

Amazon and Microsoft are battling it out over a $10 billion opportunity to build the U.S. military its first “war cloud” computing system. But Amazon’s early hopes of a shock-and-awe victory may be slipping away.

“This is not your grandfather’s internet. You’re talking about a cloud where you can go from the Pentagon literally to the soldier on the battlefield carrying classified information.” — Daniel Goure, vice president, Lexington Institute
Formally called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure plan, or JEDI, the military’s computing project would store and process vast amounts of classified data, allowing the Pentagon to use artificial intelligence to speed up its war planning and fighting capabilities. The Defense Department hopes to award the winner-take-all contract as soon as August. Oracle and IBM were eliminated at an earlier round of the contract competition.
But that’s only if the project isn’t derailed first. It faces a legal challenge by Oracle and growing congressional concerns about alleged Pentagon favoritism toward Amazon. Military officials hope to get started soon on what will be a decade-long business partnership they describe as vital to national security.
“This is not your grandfather’s internet,” said Daniel Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a defense-oriented think tank. “You’re talking about a cloud where you can go from the Pentagon literally to the soldier on the battlefield carrying classified information.”
Amazon was considered an early favorite when the Pentagon began detailing its cloud needs in 2017, but its candidacy has been marred by an Oracle allegation that Amazon executives and the Pentagon have been overly cozy. Oracle has a final chance to make its case against Amazon — and the integrity of the government’s bidding process — in a court hearing Wednesday.
Photo of the lobby for the Amazon offices in New York
The lobby for Amazon offices in New York is seen in April 2019. Amazon and Microsoft are battling for a $10 billion opportunity to build the U.S. military its first “war cloud.” (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

JEDI Has Attracted More Attention Than Most Cloud Deals

“This is really the cloud sweepstakes, which is why there are such fierce lawsuits,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives.
Ives said an opportunity that was a “no brainer” for Amazon a year ago now seems just as likely to go to Microsoft, which has spent the past year burnishing its credentials to meet the government’s security requirements.
For years, Amazon Web Services has been the industry leader in moving businesses and other institutions onto its cloud — a term used to describe banks of servers in remote data centers that can be accessed from almost anywhere. But Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform has been steadily catching up, as have other providers such as Google, in both corporate and government settings.
With an acronym evoking “Star Wars” and a price tag of up to $10 billion over the next decade, JEDI has attracted more attention than most cloud deals. A cloud strategy document unveiled by the Defense Department last year calls for replacing the military’s “disjointed and stove-piped information systems” with a commercial cloud service “that will empower the warfighter with data and is critical to maintaining our military’s technological advantage.”
In a court filing last month, Lt. Gen. Bradford Shwedo said further delays in the Oracle case will “hamper our critical efforts in AI” as the U.S. tries to maintain its advantage over adversaries who are “weaponizing their use of data.” Shwedo said JEDI’s computing capabilities could help the U.S. analyze data collected from surveillance aircraft, predict when equipment needs maintenance and speed up communications if fiber and satellite connections go down.

Pentagon’s Bid Seemed Tailor-Made for Amazon

Worried that the Pentagon’s bid seemed tailor-made for Amazon, rivals Oracle and IBM lodged formal protests last year arguing against the decision to award it to a single vendor.

“No one seems to deny that these were actual conflicts and the players affirmatively attempted to conceal them. That simply cannot be tolerated.” — Steven Schooner, professor of government procurement law, George Washington University
In an October blog post, IBM executive Sam Gordy wrote that a single-cloud approach went against industry trends and “would give bad actors just one target to focus on should they want to undermine the military’s IT backbone.”
The Government Accountability Office later dismissed those protests, but Oracle persisted by taking its case to the Court of Federal Claims, where it has pointed to emails and other documents that it says show conflicts of interest between Amazon and the government. Oral arguments in that case are scheduled for Wednesday. The case has delayed the procurement process, though the Pentagon says it now hopes to award the contract as early as Aug. 23.
Oracle’s argument is centered on the activities of a Defense Department official who later went to work for Amazon. Amazon says Oracle has exaggerated that employee’s role in the procurement using “tabloid sensationalism.”
Some defense-contracting experts say the conflict allegations are troubling.
“No one seems to deny that these were actual conflicts and the players affirmatively attempted to conceal them,” said Steven Schooner, a professor of government procurement law at George Washington University. “That simply cannot be tolerated.”
Photo of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
In May 2018, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is seen at Build, the company’s annual conference for software developers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Military Leaders Expected to Engage With Industry

But Goure, whose think tank gets funding from Amazon but not from its cloud rivals Microsoft, Oracle or IBM, said the criticism is “coming from the also-rans.” He says rivals like Oracle “missed the boat” in cloud technology and are trying to make up lost ground through legal maneuvers.
The Pentagon has repeatedly defended its bidding process, though the concerns have trickled into Congress and onto prime-time TV. Fox News host Tucker Carlson devoted a segment last month to the cloud contract that questioned an Amazon executive’s 2017 meeting with then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Carlson also aired concerns by Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, who said “the allegations are incredible” and should be investigated.
A Wall Street Journal report on Sunday further detailed government emails about that meeting and another one between Mattis and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos later that year. In response, Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said the bidding process should be started over.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Collision With Tractor Leaves One Dead, One Injured

DON'T MISS

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

DON'T MISS

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

DON'T MISS

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

DON'T MISS

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

DON'T MISS

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

DON'T MISS

Convicted Felon Caught With Guns, Ammunition in Fresno Bust

DON'T MISS

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

DON'T MISS

Crypto Industry Moves Into US Housing Market

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

UP NEXT

Clovis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison in Deadly Fentanyl Case

UP NEXT

Victims Identified as Death Toll Climbs to 8 in Lake Tahoe Boating Tragedy

UP NEXT

Florida to Build ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center for Migrants in Everglades

UP NEXT

Americans Worry Conflict With Iran Could Escalate, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

UP NEXT

Advisory Warns of ‘Heightened Threat Environment’ in US After Iran Strikes

UP NEXT

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 Levels Up With Four Days of Deals Starting July 8

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

1 hour ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

2 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

17 hours ago

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

17 hours ago

Convicted Felon Caught With Guns, Ammunition in Fresno Bust

18 hours ago

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

18 hours ago

Crypto Industry Moves Into US Housing Market

18 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

19 hours ago

Trump Says a Deal Related to Trade Was Signed With China on Wednesday

20 hours ago

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

20 hours ago

Fresno County Collision With Tractor Leaves One Dead, One Injured

A woman was killed and a man seriously injured Thursday night when a motorcycle collided with a tractor in rural Fresno County, authorities ...

2 minutes ago

fresno
2 minutes ago

Fresno County Collision With Tractor Leaves One Dead, One Injured

Ringo Is GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, June 27, 2025
7 minutes ago

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

Calwa_Empty_Pool_1280x720
1 hour ago

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

Teisha Zonnette Thomas is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for June 27, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

2 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

Hawaiian Airlines airplanes on the runway at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. April 28, 2020.
17 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

A view of Harvard campus on John F. Kennedy Street at Harvard University is pictured in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., December 7, 2023. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

A convicted felon was arrested in Fresno County after investigators found a rifle, handgun, and ammunition while serving a search warrant. (Fresno PD)
18 hours ago

Convicted Felon Caught With Guns, Ammunition in Fresno Bust

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend