Carol Alkhafi

Carol Alkhafi serves as a key procurement professional within the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the acquisition of advanced missile defense systems and enabling the agency’s mission to develop and field layered, multi-phase interception capabilities. She manages complex research and development contracts focused on sensor modernization, guidance system integration, and ballistic missile defense architecture development. Her work ensures timely delivery of mission-critical technologies across the defense lifecycle, from prototyping to fielding, aligning acquisitions with MDA’s strategic priorities in midcourse and terminal-phase defense systems. Alkhafi’s portfolio is characterized by high-technical-risk, engineering-intensive procurements requiring stringent performance validation and systems engineering oversight. She maintains consistent, long-term relationships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, leveraging their deep expertise in missile defense hardware, radar systems, and command-and-control integration. Jacobs Technology Inc. is also a frequent partner, providing engineering support, test and evaluation services, and systems analysis. These partnerships reflect a preference for established defense primes with proven capability in classified, high-consequence programs, often under cost-plus or fixed-price incentive contract structures. Alkhafi’s contracting activity shows no use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects the highly specialized nature of missile defense technologies and the limited pool of qualified vendors capable of meeting stringent performance, security, and integration requirements. While small business participation is not formally prioritized, the nature of the procurements inherently favors large, vertically integrated defense contractors with Tier-1 clearance and systems integration capacity. Her procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—underscoring her specialization in advanced defense R&D. She procures cutting-edge capabilities including kinetic and non-kinetic interceptors, space-based sensors, discrimination algorithms, and battle management software, all critical to the nation’s layered missile defense architecture.