THE Pentagon has put off awarding a $10 billion cloud computing contract sought by Amazon, saying on Thursday that the process will be reviewed by the newly-appointed Defence Secretary.

 

Pentagon in Washington, D.C. 

 

Amazon was considered a strong contender to provide technology for the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure (JEDI) programme -- a contract that is also being pursued by Microsoft -- but critics argued that the bidding process favoured the Seattle-based technology titan.

 

The move to stall the contract process came a week after Mark Esper was confirmed as the new US Secretary of Defence.

 

Esper was selected by US President Donald Trump, who has lashed out at Amazon and company founder Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post.

 

“Secretary Esper is looking at the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure (JEDI) programme,” defence department spokeswoman Elissa Smith told AFP. The contract has caused controversy over whether Internet giants claiming to be trying to make the world better should be involved in the defence industry.

 

Amazon chief Bezos has defended the company’s bid for the contract, saying it was important to support US defence efforts, even if it is unpopular.