Kathy Stora

Kathy Stora serves as a key procurement professional within the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the acquisition of critical engineering services essential to the development and integration of layered missile defense systems. She plays a central role in executing contracts that advance midcourse and terminal-phase interception technologies, sensor modernization, and guided weapon system architectures. Her portfolio primarily consists of engineering services acquisitions aligned with MDA’s mission to field resilient, multi-domain defense capabilities against evolving ballistic missile threats. Stora’s work ensures timely delivery of technical solutions through rigorous contract management, performance-based acquisition strategies, and compliance with defense acquisition regulations. She maintains consistent working relationships with leading defense prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, as well as Jacobs Technology Inc., leveraging their deep expertise in systems engineering, missile guidance, and integrated battle management. These partnerships are structured around performance-based, outcome-driven contracts that emphasize technical innovation, rapid prototyping, and systems integration across complex operational environments. Her procurement approach prioritizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical alignment, and mission-critical delivery timelines. Stora demonstrates an unwavering commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 100% of her acquisitions set aside exclusively for Women-Owned Small Businesses. This strategic preference reflects a deliberate effort to broaden the defense industrial base by empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs with high-technical-capability contracts in engineering services. Her contracting patterns actively cultivate a pipeline of qualified small business vendors capable of supporting classified, mission-critical defense programs. Her primary focus lies within NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), encompassing systems engineering, radar and sensor integration, guidance and control algorithm development, and ballistic missile defense architecture design. She procures specialized technical services that support the full lifecycle of missile defense systems—from concept and simulation to test and fielding—ensuring alignment with DoD standards and interoperability across joint force networks.