Amanda S. Behel

Amanda S. Behel serves as a key procurement professional within the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the development and fielding of integrated missile defense systems critical to national security. She manages complex acquisitions spanning research and development, sensor modernization, and guided weapon system integration, ensuring alignment with MDA’s layered defense architecture objectives. Her work directly enables the agency’s mission to counter ballistic missile threats across all flight phases, with a focus on midcourse and terminal-phase interception capabilities. Behel handles high-technical-contracting actions requiring deep engineering oversight and systems integration expertise, often coordinating across technical, operational, and acquisition teams to deliver mission-critical capabilities on schedule. She maintains strong, ongoing relationships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, partnering with industry leaders to advance cutting-edge missile defense technologies. Her procurement approach emphasizes collaboration with major defense integrators capable of delivering complex, multi-domain systems while also integrating smaller, innovative vendors through subcontracting pathways. These partnerships are structured to ensure technical fidelity, rapid prototyping, and sustained system upgrades across the defense lifecycle. Behel demonstrates a pronounced commitment to small business participation, with 60% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to foster innovation from emerging defense contractors and ensure broad industrial base resilience. Her contracting patterns consistently prioritize socioeconomic programs that expand access for small disadvantaged businesses, enhancing competition and bringing diverse technical perspectives into the missile defense ecosystem. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 541715 (R&D in physical and engineering sciences), reflecting her leadership in funding advanced missile defense research, including sensor fusion, guidance algorithms, and battle management systems. She also procures specialized hardware under NAICS 334511 for search, navigation, and guidance systems, and leverages management consulting services under NAICS 541611 to optimize acquisition processes. Her domain expertise lies at the intersection of systems engineering, defense innovation, and agile contracting for high-stakes national security technologies.