Kathryn Harshberger

Kathryn Harshberger serves as a Contract Specialist for the 4th Combat Communications Squadron (FA4809), a critical unit within the Department of the Air Force responsible for delivering resilient, secure, and expeditionary communications infrastructure for air operations. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for mission-critical systems, including secure radio and broadcast equipment, aircraft subsystems, and specialized cybersecurity services. Her acquisitions directly support operational readiness by ensuring rapid deployment and sustainment of tactical communications networks under austere conditions. Harshberger routinely handles complex solicitations requiring technical compliance with DoD standards, including MIL-STD and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, ensuring that all procurements align with the squadron’s strategic modernization goals. She maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including SOLOMON ENGINEERING, INC., BRANSCOME OPERATING, LLC, WESTERN METAL SUPPLY COMPANY, INC., X CELL MANAGEMENT INC, and TEXTRON SYSTEMS CORPORATION. These partnerships reflect a preference for established vendors with proven expertise in military-grade communications, electrical infrastructure, and aerospace subsystems. Harshberger’s contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical validation, and timely delivery, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in reliability and regulatory compliance. Harshberger’s procurement portfolio reflects a 100% no set-aside strategy, indicating a focus on full and open competition to ensure access to the broadest possible pool of qualified technical providers. While she does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her contracting decisions are driven by mission necessity and technical capability rather than socioeconomic criteria. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 238210 (Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors) and NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction), reflecting the squadron’s need for robust field-deployable power and communication cabling systems, as well as expeditionary infrastructure support. She specializes in procuring hardened electrical installations, field-deployable signal networks, and mission-critical physical infrastructure that enables secure, real-time command and control in contingency environments.