Sarah Rapone

Captain Sarah Rapone serves as a contracting officer within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA1), where she manages complex acquisitions supporting the nation’s countering of weapons of mass destruction. Her portfolio centers on research and development contracts for advanced detection, deterrence, and neutralization capabilities against chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive threats. She plays a critical role in translating scientific and operational requirements into actionable procurement strategies, ensuring timely delivery of cutting-edge technical solutions to safeguard national security. Her acquisitions typically involve high-complexity, mission-critical R&D services requiring rigorous technical evaluation and compliance with DoD acquisition regulations. Captain Rapone maintains enduring partnerships with leading technical and scientific contractors, including TECHTRANS INTERNATIONAL INC, BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, AERIS LLC, APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC., and AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC. These relationships reflect a preference for established, high-capacity firms with proven expertise in defense science, systems engineering, and advanced computing. She consistently engages vendors capable of delivering classified and unclassified R&D outputs under strict security protocols, emphasizing innovation, rapid prototyping, and scalable solutions. Her contracting approach prioritizes technical excellence, performance-based outcomes, and long-term collaboration over transactional vendor relationships. Captain Rapone’s procurement activity is exclusively non-set-aside, with 100% of her awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical expertise to meet urgent national security requirements. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, her contracting decisions are driven by mission necessity and capability, not socioeconomic preferences, aligning with HDTRA1’s need for specialized, high-performance solutions. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). She procures advanced analytical tools, sensor systems, modeling and simulation platforms, forensic analysis capabilities, and secure cloud-based data infrastructure to support threat assessment and response operations. Her domain expertise spans nuclear forensics, CBRNE detection technologies, and computational threat modeling, ensuring acquisitions align with HDTRA1’s scientific and operational mission imperatives.