Michelle Leger

J. Michelle Leger serves as a Contract Specialist at the Missile Defense Agency (HQ0276), where she plays a critical role in executing complex acquisitions for advanced missile defense systems. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions—from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration—ensuring compliance with FAR and DoD-specific regulations. She primarily handles research and development contracts supporting kinetic and non-kinetic countermeasure technologies, including sensor integration, command-and-control architectures, and interceptor system modernization, aligning procurement activities with the MDA’s mission to safeguard U.S. and allied forces from evolving ballistic and hypersonic threats. Leger collaborates with a diverse array of defense contractors, including prime systems integrators, engineering firms, and specialized technology providers focused on aerospace and defense innovation. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her working relationships emphasize technical agility and mission-critical performance, often engaging vendors with proven expertise in high-reliability systems, radar signal processing, and real-time data fusion. She fosters collaborative procurement environments that prioritize innovation, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing cycles essential to missile defense program timelines. Her contracting approach reflects a strong commitment to socioeconomic goals, with 20% of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Though the majority of her acquisitions are unrestricted, she consistently prioritizes small business participation, particularly among firms with technical capabilities in advanced engineering and systems integration. She does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, but actively encourages small business subcontracting and teaming arrangements to broaden the industrial base. Leger’s procurement focus is heavily concentrated in NAICS 541712 and 541715, reflecting her specialization in physical and engineering research and development. She procures cutting-edge technologies including hypersonic threat detection sensors, guidance algorithms, and high-speed computing architectures, with minimal activity in manufacturing categories such as metal containers or motorcycle parts. Her domain expertise lies at the intersection of defense R&D, systems engineering, and operational test and evaluation, ensuring acquisitions directly support the MDA’s technological edge.