PARTIAL VERDICT: Despite President Trump’s public comments that he would “take a close look” at the Pentagon’s $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract after receiving “tremendous complaints” about the process, the Pentagon’s internal watchdog found no evidence that the decision to award the contract to Microsoft was influenced by Trump’s well-known antipathy for Amazon and its owner, Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post.

But the Pentagon’s acting inspector general was unable to determine whether Trump or other administration officials attempted to influence the process because of a lack of cooperation from the White House and Pentagon, which prevented some senior officials from talking to investigators.

“We could not review this matter fully because of the assertion of a ‘presidential communications privilege,’ which resulted in several DoD witnesses being instructed by the DoD Office of General Counsel not to answer our questions about potential communications between White House and DoD officials,” said the report released yesterday.

‘SCREW AMAZON’: Among the allegations that went unresolved was an account in a book by retired Navy Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, who was chief speechwriter for former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Snodgrass claimed that in the summer of 2018, Trump called and directed Mattis to ‘screw Amazon’ by locking them out of a chance to bid for the lucrative contract.

According to the book, Mattis told a small group of his staff, including Snodgrass, “We’re not going to do that. This will be done by the book, both legally and ethically.’”

ESPER, MATTIS CLEARED: Whatever the president’s desires, the DOD IG report found that both Mattis and Esper essentially insulated the officials from any undue influence.

“None of the witnesses said that they felt any pressure from their DoD superiors, or anyone associated with the White House. All of the witnesses stated that media reports about the President’s public statements had no influence on their actions and no bearing on the outcome of the source selection that awarded the contract to Microsoft,” the report said.

CONTRACT STILL IN LIMBO: While the DOD IG said the award process “was in compliance,” it stopped short of saying it was proper.

"In this report, we do not draw a conclusion regarding whether the DoD appropriately awarded the JEDI Cloud contract to Microsoft rather than Amazon Web Services,” the report states, noting that Amazon won a court victory in February. “The court concluded that Amazon is likely to demonstrate in the course of their bid protest that the DoD erred in its evaluation of Source Selection Information.”

DECLARING VICTORY: The JEDI program, short for Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, is a long overdue effort to move all of the Defense Department’s computing to the cloud where warfighters can access it in remote locations, and the Pentagon is anxious to move ahead with the project.

“The Inspector's General final report on the JEDI Cloud procurement confirms that the Department of Defense conducted the JEDI Cloud procurement process fairly and in accordance with law,” said the Pentagon in a statement . “This report should finally close the door on corporate-driven attacks on the career procurement officials who have been working tirelessly to get the much needed JEDI Cloud computing environment into the hands of our frontline warfighters while continuing to protect American taxpayers.”

‘TROUBLING AND INCOMPLETE’: “The White House’s assertion of some kind of ‘communications’ privilege is part of a pattern of refusing to answer questions and ethical lapses by a president who wants no independent oversight and is firing inspectors general left and right,” said Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.

“This report is troubling and incomplete. It offers yet another example of the president’s efforts to inappropriately pressure federal agencies. It also raises the specter that President Trump suddenly fired the independent DoD watchdog because of his willingness to ask tough questions,” Reed said in reference to the author of the report, former acting Inspector General Glenn Fine, whom Trump replaced last week as he was about to oversee the spending of trillions of taxpayer dollars for coronavirus pandemic relief.

“Mr. Fine’s removal now appears connected to his willingness to do his job and ask hard questions,” Reed said.

Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre ( @jamiejmcintyre ) and edited by David Sivak and Tyler Van Dyke. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com . If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense .

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HAPPENING TODAY: NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana will participate in an online discussion on the NATO response to COVID-19, following yesterday’s virtual meeting of the NATO defense ministers. Streamed live at the Atlantic Council website at 8 a.m.

ALSO TODAY: Gen. Tod Wolters, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and the commander of U.S. European Command, holds a telephonic press briefing from Brussels at 9 a.m. to discuss activities across the European theater supporting the response to the COVID-19 global crisis. Streamed live at defense.gov .

Two weeks ago, Wolters was put in charge of NATO’s military support for member nations as they battle the pandemic, and since then, NATO has flown more than 100 missions to transport medical personnel, supplies, and treatment capabilities, facilitated the construction of 25 field hospitals, and deployed more than 4,000 military medical personnel in support of civilian efforts.

“I encouraged all allies to make their capabilities available so Gen. Wolters can coordinate further support,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who warned that potential adversaries are looking to exploit the situation. “Terrorist groups could be emboldened. The security situation in Afghanistan and Iraq remains fragile. And we see a continued pace of Russian military activity. So we must maintain our deterrence and defense.”

IRAN HARASSES US WARSHIPS: The Pentagon has released video of what it described as repeated “dangerous and harassing approaches” of half a dozen U.S. ships in the Northern Persian Gulf by 11 small Iranian patrol boats.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels “repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds,” said a statement from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. “The U.S. crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio, five short blasts from the ships' horns and long range acoustic noise maker devices, but received no response from the IRGCN.”

RUSSIA INTERCEPTS US P-8: The Iranian confrontation came the same day the Navy reported that an American U.S. P-8A Poseidon aircraft was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 fighter jet in an “unsafe” maneuver.

The interception, which lasted about 42 minutes, occurred Wednesday in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea, the Navy’s 6th Fleet said in a statement . The intercept was considered “unsafe” because the SU-35 conducted “a high-speed, inverted maneuver” just 25 feet in front of the U.S. aircraft.

The Navy said the P-8 did not provoke the Russians and was operating lawfully prior to the interception.

US SAILORS CONTRACT COVID ON FRENCH CARRIER: The Navy revealed yesterday that two of four U.S. sailors assigned to the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle have tested positive for COVID-19.

They were among the more than 650 French crew members who were infected on the carrier, which returned to port this week in Toulon, where the sailors are being placed in quarantine for 14 days.

The U.S. Navy did not say how sick the American sailors were, only that they were “receiving excellent host nation medical care at French facilities.” The sailors are “part of the U.S. Navy’s Personnel Exchange program (PEP), which fosters strong relationships and enhanced communication with partners and Allies,” the Navy said.

COVID COUNT: As of Wednesday, the Pentagon reports a total of 4,766 COVID-19 cases, including 17 deaths and 623 cases in which patients have recovered.

The current count on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, docked in Guam, is 615 positive cases and 3,958 negative. Of the ship’s 4,865-member crew, 4,046 sailors have moved ashore.

Five sailors have been admitted to the U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, and one of the five is in the intensive care unit for increased observation due to shortness of breath.

‘COSTLIEST GOVERNMENT COVER-UP OF ALL TIME’: Fox News anchor Brett Baier is reporting that based on sources who have been briefed on the details of early actions by China's government and seen relevant materials, there is increasing confidence that COVID-19 likely originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

The virus was originally believed to have passed from a bat to a human naturally because the virus showed no signs of bioengineering, but Baier’s sources say Chinese researchers were working with the virus “not as a bioweapon but as part of China's effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States.”

This may be the "costliest government cover-up of all time," one of the sources said.

TIME TO COME CLEAN: "The Chinese government needs to come clean and needs to be accountable," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News yesterday. "It needs to explain what happened and why it is the case that that information wasn't made more broadly available."

Pompeo also spoke yesterday to Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, according to the State Department. “The Secretary stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks,” said spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus. “The two sides confirmed their commitment to defeat the COVID-19 outbreak and restore global health and prosperity.”

TRUMP QUESTIONED: “Mr. President, multiple sources are telling Fox News today that the United States government now has high confidence that while the coronavirus is a naturally occurring virus, it emanated from a virology lab in Wuhan, that because of lack of safety protocols, an intern was infected who later infected her boyfriend and then went to the wet market in Wuhan, where it began to spread,” said Fox White House correspondent John Roberts at yesterday’s coronavirus update. “Does that correspond with what you have heard from your officials?

“Well, I don't want to say that, John,” Trump replied. “But I will tell you more and more, we're hearing the story and we'll see. When you say multiple sources, now there's a case where you can use the word ‘sources.’ But we are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened.”

SOUTH KOREA SPAT: Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees say they are concerned that the Trump administration has so far failed to reach a new burden-sharing deal with South Korea.

In a letter to Pompeo and Esper, the senators urged the administration to reconsider its current position in the negotiations for a new burden-sharing agreement known as the Special Measures Agreement, which funds the U.S. military presence stationed in the Korean peninsula.

“We are deeply concerned that if we are unable to reach a fair and mutually acceptable agreement on a new SMA soon, then the continued friction will erode the proper functioning of the alliance itself,” they wrote. “This could include readiness challenges and place the lives of United States service members, as well as our security interests, at increased risk. The only winners in that scenario are our adversaries. These are serious concerns that we expect you share.”

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Economic activity freeze allows Trump sanctions on North Korea to finally work

Wall Street Journal: USS Theodore Roosevelt Outbreak Is Linked to Flight Crews, Not Vietnam Visit

Stars and Stripes: Esper Says USS Roosevelt Could Be Back At Sea In Weeks; Navy Announces More Sailors Infected

Washington Examiner: Haircuts amid coronavirus tangle defense leadership

Task & Purpose: Top General Cites 1945 Battle Of Iwo Jima As Reason Marines Need To Get Haircuts During A Pandemic

Military.com: 'We've Got The Energy:' Military Doctors Relieve Worn-Out Staff In NYC Hospitals

Washington Examiner: US military and spy agencies investigating Wuhan lab contamination coronavirus theory

Seapower Magazine: Foggo: U.S. Military In All-New Territory In Fight Against Virus

Wall Street Journal: Possible Chinese Nuclear Testing Stirs U.S. Concern

Breaking Defense: Raymond Rips Russian ASAT Test, Arms Control Hypocrisy

Roll Call: Pentagon juggles transparency, obfuscation in COVID-19 age

Just the News: German police arrest four suspected of plotting to attack U.S. military targets

CNN.com: France's president says US and China back a world truce -- and he thinks Putin will 'definitely agree'

Calendar

NOTE: Many events in Washington have been canceled or moved online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Pentagon has been conducting almost-daily pop-up briefings, which are often only announced at the last minute. Check https://www.defense.gov for updates to the Pentagon’s schedule.

THURSDAY | APRIL 16

8 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar on "Allied Response to COVID-19,” with Mircea Geoana, deputy secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

11 a.m. George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs webcast: "Why Has Data Become a National Security Issue?" with Carrie Cordero, senior fellow and general counsel at the Center for a New American Security; Army Col. Sarah Albrycht, senior military fellow; and Susan Aaronson, senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation. https://elliott.gwu.edu/event-calendar

12:30 p.m. — The AFA’s Mitchell Institute “Aerospace Nation” speaker series, with Lt. Gen. David Nahom, Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs. Livestream at https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/aerospace-nation .

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar, “Modern Warfighter,” with a space panel featuring Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, director of strategy, plans, and policy, U.S. Space Command; Dr. Derek Tournear, director, Space Development Agency; Christian Zur, executive director, Procurement and Space Industry Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an artificial intelligence panel featuring Jennifer Edgin, assistant deputy commandant for information, U.S. Marine Corps; and Rear Adm. David Hahn, chief of naval research. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV, Washington, and streamed live at FedInsider.com . Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com .

2 p.m. — Bloomberg Government webcast: "Cyber Defense Acquisition and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification,” with Katherine Arrington, chief information security officer with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; and Laura Criste, IT analyst at Bloomberg. https://about.bgov.com/event/cyber-defense-acquisition

3 p.m. — The Middle East Institute webinar: "The Middle East in an Era of Great Power Competition,” with Barry Posen, political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stephen Walt, international affairs professor at the Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government; and Bilal Saab, senior fellow and director of the MEI Defense and Security Program. https://www.mei.edu/events

4 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: "Implications of Growing U.S.-China Friction: Perspectives from East Asia,” with Ben Bland, director of the Lowy Institute's Southeast Asia program; Rory Medcalf, head of the Australian National University's National Security College; Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Bonnie Glaser, director of the CSIS China Power Project. https://www.csis.org/events

6 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies webcast: "Wargaming Gone Wrong: Contemporary Applications and Lessons Learned from Millennium Challenge 2002,” with Micah Zenko, author of "Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy"; and Jeremy Sepinsky, lead wargame designer at CNA; and Rebecca Wasser, senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events

FRIDAY | APRIL 17

9 a.m. — Center for a New American Security webinar: "U.S. Sanctions Policy and COVID-19,” with Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control; John Smith, partner and co-head, Morrison and Foerster LLP National Security Practice; and Juan Zarate, chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Economic and Financial Power. https://www.cnas.org/events

1 p.m. — The Navy League of the United States Sea-Air-Space 2020 webinar, “Cyber,” with Rear Adm. Kathleen Creighton, Navy cybersecurity division director, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Gregg Kendrick, executive director, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command. Broadcast locally on WJLA-TV, Washington and streamed live FedInsider.com . Register at: https://www.fedinsider.com .

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 22

8 a.m. — George Washington University's Project for Media and National Security “Defense Writers Group” breakfast, with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu/

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 29

8 a.m. — Northrop Grumman Corporation webcasts its first quarter 2020 conference call, with Kathy Warden, chairman, chief executive officer, and president, and Dave Keffer, chief financial officer. http://investor.northropgrumman.com