Michael R. Leonard

Michael Leonard supports the Telecommunications Division (HC1013) of the Defense Information Systems Agency in managing critical procurement activities for the Department of Defense’s global communications infrastructure. He oversees the acquisition of secure, high-capacity telecom systems, including virtual private networks, fiber-optic backbone services, and network modernization solutions that ensure resilient, interoperable connectivity across military and federal operations. His work directly enables DISA’s mission to sustain and expand the DoD’s communications architecture, with a focus on replacing legacy systems and deploying next-generation secure telecommunications platforms. Leonard maintains longstanding partnerships with leading defense and commercial telecom providers, including AT&T Technical Services Company, Inc., Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Liberty Communications, Inc., AOC Connect LLC, and Norfolk Fiber, LLC. These contractors are frequently engaged for turnkey network deployment, secure data transmission services, and infrastructure hardening projects. His procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and long-term service-level agreements, fostering stable vendor relationships built on technical reliability and compliance with DoD cybersecurity standards. His contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 92.6% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a focus on capability-driven sourcing over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation remains a secondary priority at 7.4%, it is consistently channeled through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a measured but deliberate commitment to broadening vendor participation without compromising mission-critical performance requirements. Though NAICS data is not currently available, Leonard’s acquisitions center on telecommunications engineering, network infrastructure, and secure communications services—domains requiring expertise in MPLS, SD-WAN, encrypted transport protocols, and DoD-approved encryption standards. His technical focus lies in procuring solutions that enhance network resilience, support joint force interoperability, and align with DoD Zero Trust architecture initiatives.