Kristina J. Croake

Kristina J. Croake serves as a Contracting Officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), where she manages the acquisition of advanced scientific and engineering research services critical to maintaining U.S. air and space dominance. In this role, she oversees the full lifecycle of procurement activities for foundational and applied R&D contracts, ensuring alignment with AFRL’s mission to accelerate technology transition from laboratory to operational use. Her portfolio primarily includes complex, high-risk acquisitions in aerospace systems, artificial intelligence, autonomous platforms, and secure communications, requiring deep technical understanding and strategic contract negotiation to meet urgent national defense needs. Croake maintains a sustained working relationship with Engineering Resource Group Inc., a key contractor providing specialized engineering and scientific support services. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for established, high-capacity technical vendors with proven expertise in defense-relevant research domains. While she engages primarily with experienced industry partners, her approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, clear statement of work development, and rigorous technical evaluation to ensure mission-critical outcomes. Croake’s contracting activity is exclusively non-set-aside, with 100% of her awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a deliberate focus on selecting the most technically capable providers regardless of socioeconomic status, prioritizing mission readiness and technical excellence over socioeconomic preferences. Her approach underscores the specialized nature of AFRL’s research environment, where proprietary expertise and rapid innovation cycles often necessitate broad market access. Her procurement focus is narrowly concentrated on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). She regularly procures services involving computational modeling, sensor development, signal processing, and advanced materials research, supporting AFRL’s cutting-edge efforts in next-generation aerospace technologies. Her expertise lies in structuring contracts that enable agile, high-impact R&D while ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and defense-specific technical standards.