August 10 -11, 2017

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis makes a two-day West Coast trip where he meets with submarine leaders at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington and the department’s tech innovation group, Defense Innovation Unit Experimental in California. He also makes scheduled visits Amazon’s  Seattle headquarters and Google’s Palo Alto campus.

“[I’m a] big admirer of what they do out there, about the way they germinate ideas, the way they harvest ideas, from one breakthrough, rapidly, to another, and that … So I'm going out to see what we can pick up in DIUx,” Mattis says to reporters traveling with him.

August 10 -11, 2017

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis makes a two-day West Coast trip where he meets with submarine leaders at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington and the department’s tech innovation group, Defense Innovation Unit Experimental in California. He also makes scheduled visits Amazon’s  Seattle headquarters and Google’s Palo Alto campus.

“[I’m a] big admirer of what they do out there, about the way they germinate ideas, the way they harvest ideas, from one breakthrough, rapidly, to another, and that … So I'm going out to see what we can pick up in DIUx,” Mattis says to reporters traveling with him.

September 13, 2017

Defense Deputy Secretary Patrick Shanahan issues a memo titled “Accelerating Cloud Adoption,” which announces the formation of the Cloud Executive Steering Group and an outline of the cloud procurement.

“The effort is a Department priority. Speed and security are of the essence,” Shanahan writes. “I expect all offices and personnel to provide all reasonable support necessary to make rapid enterprise-wide cloud adoption a reality.”

The memo names the department’s acquisition chief Ellen Lord as chair. Other members include Strategic Capabilities Office Director Will Roper, DIUx Managing Partner Raj Shah, Defense Digital Service Director Chris Lynch and Defense Innovation Board’s Joshua Marcuse. John Bergin, an official with the chief information officer’s office, is also named as an adviser but acting CIO John Zangardi is not.

In phase one, Lynch will oversee the “tailored acquisition process” of the program. Phase two involves transitioning “select DOD components” to the acquired cloud.

September 13, 2017

Defense Deputy Secretary Patrick Shanahan issues a memo titled “Accelerating Cloud Adoption,” which announces the formation of the Cloud Executive Steering Group and an outline of the cloud procurement.

“The effort is a Department priority. Speed and security are of the essence,” Shanahan writes. “I expect all offices and personnel to provide all reasonable support necessary to make rapid enterprise-wide cloud adoption a reality.”

The memo names the department’s acquisition chief Ellen Lord as chair. Other members include Strategic Capabilities Office Director Will Roper, DIUx Managing Partner Raj Shah, Defense Digital Service Director Chris Lynch and Defense Innovation Board’s Joshua Marcuse. John Bergin, an official with the chief information officer’s office, is also named as an adviser but acting CIO John Zangardi is not.

In phase one, Lynch will oversee the “tailored acquisition process” of the program. Phase two involves transitioning “select DOD components” to the acquired cloud.

October 26, 2017

Acting Defense CIO John Zangardi is appointed to Homeland Security Department as permanent CIO.

October 26, 2017

Acting Defense CIO John Zangardi is appointed to Homeland Security Department as permanent CIO.

October 30, 2017

Defense releases the DOD Cloud request for information, spelling out that the cloud services must support warfighters on the tactical edge—even connectivity-deprived environments.

The RFI states the cloud will host unclassified, secret, and top secret information in in the continental U.S. and outside it. The department says it is looking for “technical parity with commercial cloud, even if private or hybrid cloud services are part of the final solution” and says it is willing to “remove barriers to success.”

November 6, 2017

An internal JEDI strategy document lays out an ambitious timeline: a draft solicitation and industry day issued in the second quarter of 2018; an award by fourth quarter of 2018, and beginning the first migrations in the first quarter of 2019.

It also spells out the department’s intention to pursue a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with an ordering period of up to 10 years.

November 6, 2017

An internal JEDI strategy document lays out an ambitious timeline: a draft solicitation and industry day issued in the second quarter of 2018; an award by fourth quarter of 2018, and beginning the first migrations in the first quarter of 2019.

It also spells out the department’s intention to pursue a single indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with an ordering period of up to 10 years.

December 3, 2017

“We right now have a number of different clouds but we are no kidding right now writing the contracts to get everything moved to one cloud to begin with and then go from there," steering group chair Lord says at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

Her comments were part of a broader discussion about how data, machine learning and artificial intelligence may impact the U.S. superiority on the battlefield, but the “one cloud” remark sparks concern among industry that department’s more than 500 different cloud projects could be phased out.

Bloomberg reports Lord told staff Dec. 5 not to make further public comment on the enterprise cloud.

December 3, 2017

“We right now have a number of different clouds but we are no kidding right now writing the contracts to get everything moved to one cloud to begin with and then go from there," steering group chair Lord says at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

Her comments were part of a broader discussion about how data, machine learning and artificial intelligence may impact the U.S. superiority on the battlefield, but the “one cloud” remark sparks concern among industry that department’s more than 500 different cloud projects could be phased out.

Bloomberg reports Lord told staff Dec. 5 not to make further public comment on the enterprise cloud.

December 8, 2017

Essye Miller is appointed acting Defense CIO.

December 8, 2017

Essye Miller is appointed acting Defense CIO.

January 3, 2018

Steering group member Will Roper is nominated to become assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. He will be confirmed and start the job in February.

January 3, 2018

Steering group member Will Roper is nominated to become assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. He will be confirmed and start the job in February.

April 12, 2018

Mattis defends the JEDI procurement as necessary to keep the department’s technological edge on adversaries in a budget hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

JEDI is a “fair and open competition for anyone who wants to enter” and not tailored to a single company, he said. Mattis also emphasizes that the contract’s base period is only for two years, not 10, to prevent lock-in.

April 12, 2018

Mattis defends the JEDI procurement as necessary to keep the department’s technological edge on adversaries in a budget hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

JEDI is a “fair and open competition for anyone who wants to enter” and not tailored to a single company, he said. Mattis also emphasizes that the contract’s base period is only for two years, not 10, to prevent lock-in.

April 13, 2018

At a roundtable with reporters at the Pentagon, Lord addresses rumors that existing cloud contracts will be canceled once JEDI is awarded.

“The department has multiple cloud contracts and we will continue to have multiple cloud contracts,” she says. “We are working with a variety of companies. We want to leverage the entire industrial base. So there is ample opportunity for everyone to play throughout the department.”

April 13, 2018

At a roundtable with reporters at the Pentagon, Lord addresses rumors that existing cloud contracts will be canceled once JEDI is awarded.

“The department has multiple cloud contracts and we will continue to have multiple cloud contracts,” she says. “We are working with a variety of companies. We want to leverage the entire industrial base. So there is ample opportunity for everyone to play throughout the department.”

April 16, 2018

Defense releases second draft RFP after receiving more than 1,000 industry questions, many of which are answered with “your question is noted.” The department states the final solicitation will be released in May.

April 16, 2018

Defense releases second draft RFP after receiving more than 1,000 industry questions, many of which are answered with “your question is noted.” The department states the final solicitation will be released in May.

April 24, 2018

Shanahan hits back about cloud contract misconceptions at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. He says the cloud will be “only 20 percent” of the Defense’s cloud business and part of the department’s overall “multi-cloud strategy.”

He knocks down press reports of the contract's value—a $10 billion ceiling—but doesn’t offer another value. He also explains the contract’s options—a two-year base period with additional extensions—allow the department an exit if things go sideways.

“So if it’s working, extend it,” Shanahan says. “If it’s not working, here are the keys, thank you.”

April 24, 2018

Shanahan hits back about cloud contract misconceptions at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. He says the cloud will be “only 20 percent” of the Defense’s cloud business and part of the department’s overall “multi-cloud strategy.”

He knocks down press reports of the contract's value—a $10 billion ceiling—but doesn’t offer another value. He also explains the contract’s options—a two-year base period with additional extensions—allow the department an exit if things go sideways.

“So if it’s working, extend it,” Shanahan says. “If it’s not working, here are the keys, thank you.”

April 30, 2018

The IT Alliance for Public Sector, an industry group representing approximately 80 tech firms, sends a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and other panels asking for increased transparency and possible congressional intervention into the JEDI procurement.  

“Deployment of a single cloud conflicts with established best practices and industry trends in the commercial marketplace, as well as current law and regulation, which calls for the award of multiple task or delivery order contracts to the maximum extent practicable,” the letter states.

It’s only one example of lobbying efforts the companies competing for the contract are undertaking. Some are traditional efforts: events, meetings with Hill staffers and op-eds by companies for various publications. Other efforts to call the contract into question—including a dossier shopped to reporters—insinuate corruption by individual senior Defense and private company officials.

April 30, 2018

The IT Alliance for Public Sector, an industry group representing approximately 80 tech firms, sends a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and other panels asking for increased transparency and possible congressional intervention into the JEDI procurement.  

“Deployment of a single cloud conflicts with established best practices and industry trends in the commercial marketplace, as well as current law and regulation, which calls for the award of multiple task or delivery order contracts to the maximum extent practicable,” the letter states.

It’s only one example of lobbying efforts the companies competing for the contract are undertaking. Some are traditional efforts: events, meetings with Hill staffers and op-eds by companies for various publications. Other efforts to call the contract into question—including a dossier shopped to reporters—insinuate corruption by individual senior Defense and private company officials.