Karen L Smith

Karen L. Smith serves as a key procurement lead within the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to advance undersea warfare capabilities through strategic acquisitions of advanced sensor systems, signal processing technologies, and ruggedized computing platforms. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on the development, testing, and sustainment of sonar, navigation, guidance, and electronic warfare systems critical to submarine and unmanned undersea vehicle operations. Her work ensures timely delivery of mission-critical technologies aligned with the Navy’s modernization priorities in undersea dominance and maritime security. Smith maintains consistent working relationships with specialized contractors including Ordnance Technology Service, Inc., Boh Environmental, L.L.C., Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC, and EOS of North America, Inc. These partnerships span technical services, environmental compliance, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing, reflecting a balanced approach between established defense contractors and niche technical vendors with proven expertise in undersea environments. Her contracting patterns emphasize performance-based outcomes and technical rigor, often requiring compliance with military specifications and secure supply chain protocols. While the majority of her acquisitions are unrestricted, she actively supports small business participation through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, consistently allocating approximately one-quarter of her portfolio to qualified small businesses. This reflects a deliberate commitment to fostering innovation and capacity within the defense industrial base without compromising mission readiness or technical integrity. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 334511 for undersea detection and navigation systems, 541511 for custom software and signal processing applications, and 332993 for non-small arms ammunition and ordnance components. She specializes in acquiring high-reliability hardware, embedded systems, and mission-critical software tailored for harsh maritime environments, demonstrating deep technical fluency in undersea warfare domains.