Tonya J. Lakner

Tonya J. Lakner serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, supporting the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. She manages complex acquisitions for mission-critical avionics, electronic warfare subsystems, and airborne communications infrastructure, ensuring alignment with the Navy’s strategic priorities in air superiority and fleet readiness. Her role centers on executing full lifecycle contracting for technical services and specialized equipment, bridging operational requirements with industry capabilities to deliver next-generation aerospace solutions under strict compliance with DoD acquisition regulations. Lakner maintains consistent contracting relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These partnerships reflect a focus on high-precision engineering services, systems integration, and sustainment of legacy and modernized aircraft platforms. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical validation, and performance-based contract structures to ensure mission-critical system reliability and interoperability across naval aviation platforms. Her contracting portfolio demonstrates a strong preference for open competition, with 71.4% of awards issued without set-aside designations, while maintaining a meaningful 28.6% commitment to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This balance reflects a strategic emphasis on leveraging industry innovation from both large prime contractors and qualified small businesses, without compromising technical rigor or schedule fidelity. Lakner’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), where she sources advanced systems engineering, avionics integration, and test support. Additional emphasis is placed on NAICS 488190 (Air Transportation Support) and 334220/334290 (communications and broadcasting equipment manufacturing), underscoring her expertise in procuring mission-critical airborne sensor suites, data links, and electronic warfare components essential to modern naval air operations.