Heather J Petersen

Heather J. Petersen serves as a Contract Specialist within the W4MM USA Joint Munitions Command, a critical element of the Department of the Army responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle management of conventional ammunition and explosives. In this role, she executes full-cycle procurement actions for mission-critical materiel supporting land, air, and naval forces, ensuring operational readiness through timely acquisition of components ranging from fasteners and coatings to welding equipment and industrial gases. Her work directly enables the Command’s strategic priorities of modernizing warfighting capabilities and enhancing supply chain resilience, with a strong emphasis on compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) standards and defense logistics protocols. Petersen collaborates with a diverse base of industrial suppliers, primarily small and mid-sized manufacturers specializing in precision metal components, protective coatings, and specialized equipment for munitions production and handling. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with vendors capable of meeting stringent military specifications, including those requiring ITAR compliance, quality assurance per MIL-STD-45662, and certified production processes for explosive-safe environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, technical capability, and supply chain continuity over volume-based vendor relationships. She demonstrates a robust commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with nearly half of her acquisitions structured as small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, and a notable focus on service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB). Her procurement patterns reflect a deliberate effort to expand opportunities for qualified small businesses while maintaining readiness standards, aligning with Department of Defense mandates to increase small business participation in defense logistics. Her primary technical focus lies in NAICS 332722 (fastener manufacturing), 325510 (paint and coating production), and 332311 (prefabricated metal components), indicating deep expertise in procuring foundational munitions system elements. She routinely evaluates technical proposals for material integrity, corrosion resistance, and explosive compatibility, making her a key steward of the Army’s ammunition infrastructure.