Milagros C. Halstead

Milagros C. Halstead serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Defense Media Activity (DMA) Riverside, under the Department of Defense, where she plays a critical role in acquiring the hardware and communications infrastructure essential to the agency’s multimedia production and distribution mission. She manages the procurement of broadcast-grade equipment, digital media systems, and secure audiovisual technologies that support military public affairs, operational training, and internal communications. Her acquisitions directly enable DMA Riverside’s mission to deliver secure, high-fidelity content across DoD networks and public platforms, ensuring compliance with federal cybersecurity and interoperability standards. Halstead maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse range of vendors specializing in broadcast engineering, media server systems, and mission-critical electronics. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms capable of delivering ruggedized, DoD-compliant equipment and integrated media solutions. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical validation, lifecycle support, and vendor responsiveness, fostering partnerships with both established systems integrators and agile small businesses capable of rapid deployment and customization. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong commitment to small business participation, with nearly 40% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, and an additional 2.3% allocated to 8(a) competed contracts. She actively prioritizes socioeconomic programs to expand vendor diversity, ensuring that qualified small and emerging businesses have equitable access to defense media procurement opportunities. Halstead’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334220, encompassing radio, television, and wireless communications equipment manufacturing, reflecting her specialization in broadcast transmission systems, encoders, and field-deployable media hardware. She also regularly procures computer peripherals and audiovisual components under NAICS 334111 and 334310, demonstrating deep technical familiarity with media production ecosystems and the integration of enterprise-grade computing platforms into secure DoD workflows.