Amazon (AMZN  ) owner and CEO Jeff Bezos came out in support of tech companies working more closely with the Department of Defense during the Regan National Defense Forum on Saturday.

Bezos spoke out in support of tech firms working more closely with the Pentagon during the forum on Saturday. "If big tech is going to turn their backs on the Department of Defense, this country is in trouble, that just can't happen" Bezos said, "Look I understand these are emotional issues, that's okay, we don't have to agree on everything, but this is how we are going to do it, we are going to support the Department of Defense. This country is important."

Bezos' "emotional issues" statement was likely in reference to Project Maven, a program that saw Google (GOOGL  ) working with the Pentagon to analyze videos from military drones using artificial intelligence. Google employees protested their participation in the project, who were morally against it and believed it violated Google's goal of "doing no harm." Google did not renew the contract upon its expiry. Bezos stated that he supported the right for employees to hold their own viewpoints but said it was ultimately up to senior executives to decide the course of their company's actions.

Bezos' strong support came with claims that the United States Armed Forces may lose its edge if tech companies refuse to work with the Pentagon. Bezos was fairly blunt in his delivery of the stern warning to tech companies, saying that "This is not a sporting competition. You don't want to fight fair."

Interestingly enough, Bezos' strong support of the Pentagon comes in the wake of Amazon's significant loss in the contract bidding for the JEDI Program, and the controversy stemming from it. Since Amazon lost the bidding war to its sole competitor Microsoft (MSFT  ), it has vehemently contested the decision, stating that President Donald Trump exerted pressure on the Pentagon to sway its decision due to his longstanding grudge with Bezos. Amazon has since lobbed a complaint against the Pentagon and pursued a lawsuit in an attempt to reverse the decision.

According to Bezos, Trump's ire was earned through Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post. Amazon has alleged that the Pentagon had made "inexplicable errors" in the decision-making process. Amazon's allegations include claims that Amazon was subject to increased scrutiny that Microsoft was not subject to, and that the Pentagon reviewed outdated documents regarding Amazon's proposed plans for the project. Before Microsoft's victory, Amazon had long been considered the better choice and was the frontrunner for the duration of the bidding war.