Melanie Curtis

Melanie Curtis serves as Chief of the Air & Space Operations Acquisition Division within the Headquarters of Air Combat Command’s Acquisition Management Integration Center (FA4890), where she leads the strategic procurement of mission-critical air and space training systems and operational support services. Her division is responsible for ensuring combat-ready forces are equipped with advanced flight training platforms, command and control infrastructure, and integrated technical services that enhance pilot readiness, tactical communications, and surveillance effectiveness. She oversees full lifecycle acquisition activities—from requirements validation through contract award and performance management—focusing on high-stakes, technology-driven programs that directly support Air Force air dominance objectives. Curtis maintains enduring partnerships with a core group of specialized contractors, including VETPRIDE-EMI MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS, LLC, MILTRAIN JV II LLC, and JBW FEDITC JV LLC, all of which provide advanced flight simulation, maintenance, and mission systems integration services. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term, performance-based contracting with vendors demonstrating deep domain expertise in military aviation training environments. These relationships are characterized by sustained collaboration, technical alignment, and a focus on mission-critical outcomes rather than transactional procurement. Curtis’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside classifications. While she does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her division maintains rigorous standards for vendor capability, ensuring that all awardees possess the technical proficiency and operational experience required to support high-tempo air combat training missions. Her primary procurement focus is exclusively on NAICS 611512 (Flight Training), encompassing full-motion simulators, synthetic training environments, instructor support services, and embedded training systems. Curtis’s expertise lies in acquiring complex, integrated training solutions that replicate real-world combat scenarios, ensuring pilots are prepared for next-generation air warfare environments through immersive, data-driven, and sustainment-ready platforms.