Jeff Chelston

Jeff Chelston serves as a primary contracting professional at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, where he plays a central role in acquiring advanced avionics, flight control systems, and diagnostic instrumentation critical to naval aviation readiness. His responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle of technical acquisitions—from requirements definition through contract award and performance management—ensuring alignment with the agency’s mission to develop and sustain next-generation naval airpower. He routinely handles complex, high-technology procurements involving specialized hardware, embedded software, and mission-critical support systems, often requiring rigorous test and evaluation protocols. Chelston maintains established working relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, and PCI Aviation, among others. These partnerships are characterized by long-term collaboration on integrated systems development, with a focus on secure, high-reliability platforms for naval aircraft. His procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor, vendor performance accountability, and compliance with defense acquisition regulations, fostering trusted vendor relationships grounded in mission-critical outcomes. While the majority of his acquisitions are unrestricted, Chelston consistently prioritizes small business participation, with approximately 21.8% of his portfolio allocated to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. He actively engages qualified small businesses in the development and supply of specialized components, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to expanding the defense industrial base through socioeconomic contracting mechanisms. His technical focus centers on NAICS categories including 332216 (saw blade and handtool manufacturing), 513210 (software publishing), and 334513 (industrial process instrumentation), reflecting a strong emphasis on precision manufacturing, embedded software solutions, and diagnostic measurement systems. He specializes in procuring mission-critical technologies that enable aircraft health monitoring, flight system integration, and maintenance infrastructure modernization for naval aviation platforms.