Krystal Ness

Krystal Ness serves as a General Engineer within the Missile Defense Agency, where she plays a critical role in managing technical acquisitions for advanced missile defense systems. Her responsibilities include evaluating engineering designs, assessing system integration requirements, and overseeing contract execution for research and development initiatives aligned with the MDA’s mission to defend against ballistic missile threats. She specializes in procuring complex, high-performance technologies spanning sensor modernization, midcourse and terminal-phase interception systems, and guided weapon integration, ensuring technical rigor and operational readiness across the nation’s layered defense architecture. Ness maintains consistent procurement relationships with leading defense prime contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, who provide core engineering, systems integration, and technology development services. She also collaborates with Jacobs Technology Inc. for specialized technical support and systems analysis. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for long-term, mission-critical partnerships with established industry leaders capable of delivering cutting-edge solutions under stringent performance and security standards, often involving classified or sensitive technical environments. Ness’s procurement portfolio reflects a 100% focus on unrestricted acquisitions, with no set-asides designated for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic categories. This reflects the highly specialized, technology-intensive nature of MDA’s mission, where system performance, national security requirements, and rapid innovation take precedence over socioeconomic contracting preferences. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—encompassing advanced radar systems, kinetic and non-kinetic interceptors, battle management command and control software, and missile flight dynamics modeling. She routinely oversees contracts for prototype development, live-fire testing, and systems engineering support, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace engineering, guidance systems, and defense technology lifecycle management.