Stephen J. Fantasia

Stephen J. Fantasia serves as a Contracting Officer within the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), responsible for managing complex acquisition programs critical to national missile defense capabilities. He oversees the procurement of advanced research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) services and integrated weapon system solutions aligned with MDA’s mission to defend against evolving ballistic missile threats. His portfolio centers on high-technology contracts requiring rigorous technical oversight, systems engineering support, and rapid prototyping of layered defense architectures, including midcourse and terminal-phase interceptors. Fantasia ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while facilitating timely delivery of mission-critical capabilities to operational forces and allied partners. Fantasia maintains longstanding procurement relationships with prime defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, which provide core systems integration, sensor modernization, and guided weapon development. He also collaborates with Jacobs Technology Inc. for engineering and technical services supporting test infrastructure and mission simulation. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, risk-managed contract structures, and sustained collaboration with industry partners to accelerate innovation cycles and fielding timelines for next-generation defense systems. Fantasia’s procurement portfolio reflects a consistent preference for full and open competition, with 100% of his awards issued without set-aside designations such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. This reflects the highly specialized, classified, and technologically demanding nature of MDA’s mission, where only a limited number of industry participants possess the required clearance levels, technical expertise, and infrastructure to support classified missile defense programs. His primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where he acquires advanced engineering services, radar and electro-optical sensor development, guidance and control system integration, and hypersonic threat modeling. His technical domain expertise spans missile defense architecture, intercept technology, and space-based surveillance systems, ensuring acquisitions align with strategic defense priorities and cutting-edge scientific innovation.