Dmitriy Plaks

Dmitriy Plaks serves as Technical Lead at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), where he plays a pivotal role in guiding the technical evaluation and acquisition of advanced missile defense systems. Responsible for bridging engineering requirements with procurement strategy, he ensures that contract solicitations align with operational needs in layered defense architectures, including midcourse and terminal-phase interception technologies. His work directly supports the MDA’s mission to field integrated, sensor-enabled, and networked missile defense capabilities through rigorous technical oversight of research, development, and system integration contracts. He routinely manages complex acquisitions involving guidance systems, radar modernization, battle management software, and kinetic and non-kinetic interceptors. Plaks maintains consistent technical collaboration with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, and Jacobs Technology Inc., partnering with these industry leaders to deliver cutting-edge missile defense solutions. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term technical alignment, with a preference for established defense contractors possessing deep expertise in hypersonics, command and control systems, and discrimination sensor architectures. He engages these vendors through performance-based, systems-engineering-driven contract vehicles that prioritize technical innovation, test validation, and rapid prototyping. Plaks’s acquisition portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of his procurements classified as no set-aside. He does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, instead prioritizing technical capability and mission-critical readiness over socioeconomic preferences in contract award decisions. His primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where he specializes in procuring advanced engineering services for missile defense system design, simulation modeling, signal processing, and integrated test bed development. His domain expertise spans guided weapon system integration, sensor fusion, and ballistic missile tracking technologies, ensuring that all acquisitions meet stringent performance and reliability standards for national defense.