Aine Akeley Nakai

Aine Akeley Nakai serves as Contract Manager for FA8823 Sustainment MCPNT SSC/PKL within the Department of the Air Force, where she oversees the acquisition and lifecycle management of critical aerospace and space-based sustainment programs. Her role centers on ensuring the operational readiness of guided missile systems, satellite communications platforms, and global positioning infrastructure through strategic contracting actions. She manages complex, technically demanding procurements primarily in research and development, coordinating with engineering teams to align contract requirements with evolving mission needs in space and missile sustainment. Her acquisitions typically involve advanced systems integration, signal processing, and command and control modernization efforts. Akeley Nakai collaborates with a broad spectrum of defense contractors specializing in aerospace engineering, systems integration, and space domain awareness. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages firms with proven expertise in classified aerospace sustainment, radar and navigation system upgrades, and secure satellite communications. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical compliance, and risk mitigation, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors capable of supporting classified and high-assurance environments. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted without set-asides. This reflects the mission-critical nature of the systems she supports, where specialized technical capabilities and security clearances often necessitate broad eligibility. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through socioeconomic set-asides, she remains attentive to qualified small businesses that meet stringent technical and security thresholds. Her primary focus lies in NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where she procures advanced engineering services, systems modeling, prototype development, and sustainment engineering for space and missile platforms. Her technical domain expertise spans satellite payload integration, RF signal analysis, and ground station modernization, making her a key liaison between technical stakeholders and acquisition execution in the Air Force’s space sustainment enterprise.