Navy Vice Admiral Stephen Tedford
Director, Defense Contract Management Agency

Navy Vice Admiral Stephen Tedford is the Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency, headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia. As the Director, he leads a Department of Defense agency consisting of more than 9,800 civilians and military personnel who manage over 311,000 contracts worldwide with a total value of $8.5 trillion. 

Tedford assumed leadership of DCMA on Dec. 11, 2025, after serving as the Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons at Naval Air Systems Command beginning in May 2022.

A native of Huntington, New York. He was commissioned an ensign through Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and was designated a naval aviator in 1993.

He received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and was a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) Cooperative Program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Upon graduation from USNTPS, Tedford earned his master's degree in aeronautical engineering.

Tedford’s initial operational tours were with the Golden Eagles of Patrol Squadron (VP) 9, located at Barbers Point, Hawaii, and the Golden Swordsmen of VP-47 in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, during which time he deployed to Diego Garcia; Misawa, Japan; and Bahrain. Tedford also deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet where he executed 250 combat flight hours in support of Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom.

Ashore, Tedford served as a test pilot at Aircraft Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 in Patuxent River, Maryland, and as an instructor at the USNTPS. He served two tours with the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program office (PMA-290) at NAVAIR as P-3C weapons class desk and as P-3 sustainment integrated product team lead responsible for the complete structural sustainment of 172 P-3/EP-3 aircraft and the execution of a $1.5 billion budget. He served as Commanding Officer of VX-30 in Point Mugu, California, executed more than 13,000 flight hours in the P-3C Orion, C-130 Hercules and S-3B Viking and earned the 2009 Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award.

In April 2012, Tedford reported to the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment program office (PMA-251) as the Deputy Program Manager for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) system. This was followed by command of PMA-251 as the Program Manager in September 2014; and as NAVAIR Vice Commander in August 2018. He then served as Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force from August 2019 to May 2022.

Tedford has accumulated more than 3,100 flight hours in 40 different aircraft. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards; one with Combat Valor), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), and numerous other unit and service awards.

(Current as of December 2025)