Kathleen Jones

Kathleen Jones serves as a Contracting Officer at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA1), where she manages complex acquisition programs aligned with the agency’s mission to counter weapons of mass destruction and mitigate emerging national security threats. She oversees the procurement of advanced scientific, technical, and operational capabilities—including detection systems, forensic analysis tools, and threat intelligence platforms—primarily through research and development contracts. Her work directly supports the agency’s strategic priorities in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive defense, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical technologies through full and open competition. Jones maintains enduring relationships with leading technical contractors including TECHTRANS INTERNATIONAL INC, BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, AERIS LLC, APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC., and AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established defense science and engineering firms with deep expertise in high-consequence threat environments. She consistently engages vendors capable of delivering rapid prototyping, systems integration, and cloud-enabled analytical platforms, often under time-sensitive, classified, or mission-essential timelines. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical rigor, and compliance with DoD acquisition regulations. Jones exclusively utilizes full and open competition, with no set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic categories. This reflects a mission-driven focus on technical capability over socioeconomic preferences, prioritizing the highest-performing entities regardless of size or certification status. Her procurement strategy is calibrated to ensure access to specialized, niche expertise required for national security applications. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541712 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences), where she acquires advanced scientific services, sensor development, and modeling and simulation tools. She also frequently procures specialized instrumentation under NAICS 334519, including radiation detection devices and precision measuring systems. Her domain expertise centers on defense science, threat detection technologies, and secure data analytics platforms.