Gloria A. Powell

Gloria Powell serves as a key procurement professional within the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the acquisition of advanced missile defense systems critical to national security. She manages complex research and development contracts aligned with MDA’s mission to field integrated, layered defense architectures capable of intercepting ballistic threats across all flight phases. Her work centers on engineering and technical services that enable sensor modernization, midcourse and terminal-phase interception capabilities, and system integration across ground-, sea-, and space-based platforms. Powell’s acquisitions are strategically aligned with the agency’s long-term modernization roadmap, ensuring timely delivery of cutting-edge technologies through full lifecycle contract management. She maintains consistent partnerships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, firms with proven expertise in missile defense system design, radar integration, and kinetic kill vehicle development. Her procurement approach favors established defense primes with deep technical capabilities in hypersonics, battle management command and control, and missile tracking systems. She also collaborates with Jacobs Technology Inc. for engineering support services, indicating a reliance on high-tier systems integrators capable of delivering mission-critical R&D under stringent DoD compliance standards. Powell’s contracting activity reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside categories. There is no evidence of targeted socioeconomic contracting preferences for 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, suggesting her portfolio prioritizes technical capability and mission readiness over socioeconomic set-asides. This pattern aligns with MDA’s high-risk, high-stakes acquisition environment, where performance and proven systems integration outweigh small business participation metrics. Her procurement activity is exclusively classified under NAICS 541715, reflecting an exclusive focus on research and development in physical and engineering sciences. She procures advanced defense technologies including radar signal processing, guidance and control algorithms, interceptor hardware, and simulation-based testing systems, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace engineering and defense systems R&D.