Leslie Cooper

Leslie Cooper serves as the primary contracting lead for the FA8735 Nuclear Network Division at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, where they oversee the acquisition of critical engineering and technical services essential to sustaining the U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications infrastructure. Responsible for managing complex procurements under FAR and DFARS frameworks, Cooper ensures that contract vehicles align with the division’s mission to modernize legacy nuclear network systems while maintaining stringent security and operational readiness standards. Their portfolio primarily encompasses professional, scientific, and technical services requiring high-level clearance and specialized domain expertise in nuclear enterprise systems. Cooper collaborates with a diverse array of defense contractors and technical service providers, including firms with proven experience in aerospace systems, secure communications equipment, and nuclear infrastructure engineering. While no single contractor dominates the award profile, the procurement approach favors qualified vendors with demonstrated capability in classified environments and DoD compliance. Relationships are built on technical rigor, past performance in nuclear enterprise programs, and adherence to stringent cybersecurity and supply chain integrity requirements. Set-aside preferences reflect a strong emphasis on open competition, with 85.7% of acquisitions conducted as unrestricted procurements. However, a consistent 14.3% of awards are structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate effort to integrate capable small businesses into the nuclear enterprise supply chain without compromising mission-critical performance standards. The agency’s procurement focus centers on NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) and 541330 (Engineering Services), with significant activity in 334511 (Search and Navigation Systems Manufacturing) and 334290 (Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing). These categories reflect a technical domain centered on secure, hardened communication architectures, nuclear system instrumentation, and mission-critical consulting services supporting the sustainment and modernization of the nuclear enterprise.