Kala A. Rockwell

Kala A. Rockwell serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where she plays a critical role in acquiring advanced aviation systems essential to maintaining naval air superiority. She manages the full lifecycle of complex procurements spanning research, development, testing, and sustainment of mission-critical airborne platforms, with a focus on avionics, electronic warfare systems, and integrated sensor suites. Her acquisitions support the modernization of next-generation naval aircraft and the extended service life of legacy platforms, ensuring operational readiness across the fleet. Rockwell’s work directly enables the integration of cutting-edge technologies into combat-coded aircraft, aligning procurement strategy with the agency’s technical and strategic imperatives. Rockwell maintains consistent contracting relationships with industry leaders including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These partnerships reflect a blend of prime contractor engagement with specialized systems integrators and niche manufacturers capable of delivering high-assurance, defense-grade components. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical risk mitigation, and long-term sustainment planning, fostering collaborative relationships built on compliance, innovation, and mission alignment. While the majority of her acquisitions—87.5%—are conducted without set-asides, Rockwell maintains a deliberate 12.5% commitment to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes capability while enabling small business participation. Her socioeconomic contracting patterns favor open competition with targeted opportunities for qualified small businesses, particularly those with specialized technical expertise in aerospace systems. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334511, encompassing search, detection, navigation, and aeronautical systems manufacturing, reflecting deep expertise in radar, electronic warfare, and mission computing hardware. She also regularly procures related systems under NAICS 336412 (aircraft engines), 334290 (communications equipment), and 541330 (engineering services), underscoring her technical proficiency in integrated airborne subsystems and systems engineering support.