Christine Somerset

Christine Somerset serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where she plays a pivotal role in securing specialized avionics, flight control systems, and diagnostic instrumentation critical to naval aviation readiness. Responsible for end-to-end acquisition execution under FAR and NAVAIR-specific directives, she manages complex contracts for high-performance aircraft components, ensuring technical compliance, risk mitigation, and timely delivery to support test, evaluation, and sustainment missions. Her portfolio centers on advanced aerospace systems requiring rigorous engineering validation and long-term logistical support, making her a key enabler of next-generation naval airpower capabilities. Christine maintains consistent working relationships with industry leaders including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., PCI Aviation LLC, Critical Communications, Controls and Instruments, LLC, and Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC. These partnerships reflect a focus on Tier 1 defense contractors with proven expertise in military-grade avionics and mission-critical instrumentation. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical fidelity, performance-based outcomes, and sustained vendor collaboration to meet the demanding operational environments of naval aircraft systems. While the majority of her acquisitions are conducted as open competitions (72%), Christine actively supports small business participation through Total Small Business Set-Asides (28%), aligning with FAR 19.5 guidelines. She demonstrates a deliberate commitment to expanding the defense industrial base by engaging qualified small businesses capable of delivering specialized components and subsystems, particularly in niche aerospace manufacturing domains. Her procurement focus is overwhelmingly concentrated in NAICS 336413—Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing—reflecting deep expertise in procuring flight-critical hardware such as sensors, actuators, and integration modules. She also engages with related categories including semiconductor manufacturing and precision instrumentation, underscoring her technical fluency in avionics architecture and electronic system integration for naval aircraft platforms.