Stephanie Bridgewater

Stephanie Bridgewater serves as a key procurement lead within the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, where she oversees the acquisition of advanced flight and aircrew training systems critical to naval aviation readiness. Responsible for managing contract lifecycle activities from requirements definition to award and administration, she specializes in high-fidelity simulation, immersive training environments, and mission-critical avionics infrastructure. Her work directly supports the modernization of tactical combat training curricula and the integration of next-generation training technologies across naval aviation platforms, ensuring alignment with operational readiness goals and technological innovation. Bridgewater maintains sustained partnerships with leading training system providers, most notably STRACON SERVICES GROUP, LLC, and FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL INC, both of which deliver comprehensive flight simulation, synthetic training devices, and curriculum development services. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established industry partners with proven expertise in aviation training systems, emphasizing technical capability, system interoperability, and long-term sustainment support. These relationships are characterized by repeat engagements and performance-based contract structures designed to ensure mission-critical system reliability and continuous improvement. Her procurement activity reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside classifications. Bridgewater does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, instead emphasizing technical merit, system performance, and industrial capacity in source selection. This approach aligns with the division’s mission to rapidly field high-performance training systems without constraints that may limit access to specialized capabilities. The division’s procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 611512 (Flight Training), reflecting Bridgewater’s deep specialization in aviation training systems. She procures full-spectrum flight simulators, embedded training software, distributed simulation networks, and integrated training management systems, requiring expertise in real-time modeling, human-in-the-loop testing, and avionics integration. Her technical domain knowledge ensures acquisitions meet rigorous military standards for fidelity, safety, and operational relevance.