Jesse A. Steele

Jesse Steele serves as a Procuring Contracting Officer within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), responsible for managing the full lifecycle acquisition of critical naval aviation systems. In this role, he executes complex contract actions for the development, testing, and sustainment of carrier-based and expeditionary aircraft, avionics, and propulsion systems. His portfolio centers on high-priority defense modernization initiatives aligned with NAVAIR’s mission to maintain air superiority through advanced aerospace capabilities. Steele routinely handles sole-source, competitive, and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts under FAR and DFARS frameworks, ensuring compliance with defense acquisition regulations while balancing technical performance, schedule, and cost efficiency. Steele maintains enduring relationships with leading defense aerospace primes, including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, partnering with them on integrated platform development, weapons integration, and mission systems modernization. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term industrial base stability, leveraging established technical expertise and proven delivery records. He also collaborates with specialized logistics and training providers such as Global Air Logistics and Training, Inc., to ensure operational readiness and sustainment support for fleet-wide platforms. These partnerships are characterized by deep technical alignment and consistent performance expectations across contract phases. Steele’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside conditions. This reflects NAVAIR’s strategic emphasis on leveraging the full industrial base to meet urgent operational requirements for advanced aviation systems, prioritizing technical capability and scale over socioeconomic set-asides. While small business participation is not formally targeted in his awards, he ensures compliance with all applicable subcontracting plan requirements and encourages tiered supplier engagement where technically viable. His primary acquisition focus lies in NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing), encompassing the procurement of fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms, airframe systems, and structural components, with additional emphasis on NAICS 336412 (Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing). Steele specializes in procurements involving flight-critical systems, propulsion integration, and advanced materials, demonstrating deep domain expertise in naval aviation engineering and lifecycle sustainment.