Jessica Milam

Jessica Milam serves as a key procurement professional within the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the acquisition of advanced missile defense systems and related research and development initiatives. She plays a critical role in executing the agency’s mission to field integrated, layered defense architectures by managing complex contracts for cutting-edge technologies in sensor modernization, midcourse and terminal-phase interception systems, and guided weapon integration. Her acquisitions focus on high-priority R&D efforts that bridge engineering innovation with operational readiness, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical capabilities to protect U.S. and allied forces against evolving ballistic missile threats. Milam maintains consistent and strategic relationships with leading defense prime contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, which serve as primary performers on large-scale systems integration and technology development efforts. She also collaborates with Jacobs Technology Inc. on engineering support and technical services critical to test infrastructure and system validation. These partnerships are characterized by long-term, performance-based contracting models that emphasize technical excellence, systems engineering rigor, and rapid prototyping cycles aligned with MDA’s accelerated acquisition timelines. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside preferences. This indicates a deliberate emphasis on leveraging the full industrial base—particularly large defense primes with proven capabilities in missile defense systems—to meet urgent operational requirements without socioeconomic restrictions, prioritizing technical capability and mission readiness over small business set-asides. Milam’s acquisitions are exclusively classified under NAICS 541715, reflecting her deep specialization in research and development within the physical and engineering sciences. She procures advanced technologies including radar discrimination algorithms, kinetic kill vehicles, battle management command and control software, and hypersonic threat detection systems, demonstrating expertise in aerospace engineering, guidance and control systems, and multi-domain sensor fusion. Her work directly supports the MDA’s strategic pivot toward next-generation, multi-layered missile defense architectures.