Holly J Deford

Holly J. Deford serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to modernize and sustain advanced aviation training systems. She manages acquisitions for mission-critical simulation platforms, immersive training environments, and avionics infrastructure that enhance pilot and aircrew readiness. Her portfolio encompasses complex systems integration projects requiring technical expertise in real-time modeling, synthetic training environments, and mission-critical software-defined systems, ensuring alignment with naval aviation operational requirements and future readiness goals. Deford maintains consistent working relationships with strategic vendors including STRACON SERVICES GROUP, LLC and FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL INC, both of which provide high-fidelity flight simulators, training device sustainment, and curriculum-integrated simulation solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical capability, lifecycle support, and performance-based acquisition methods. She frequently engages contractors with proven experience in defense-grade training systems, prioritizing vendors capable of delivering secure, interoperable, and field-deployable training technologies. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong commitment to small business participation, with nearly 43% of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. While no specific socioeconomic set-asides dominate, her consistent use of small business set-asides demonstrates a deliberate strategy to foster innovation and capacity-building within the defense training technology ecosystem. Deford’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334118 for computer peripheral equipment and 334220 for wireless communications hardware, reflecting her specialization in training system hardware, data link components, and embedded avionics. She also procures commercial and service industry machinery (333310) for training facility infrastructure and supports ancillary systems under 562219 for environmental compliance in test and maintenance facilities. Her technical domain expertise spans integrated training systems, real-time data fusion, and mission rehearsal environments critical to naval aviation readiness.