Assistant General Counsel (Research, Development & Acquisition)

Thomas L. Frankfurt

Thomas L. Frankfurt, the Assistant General Counsel (Research, Development & Acquisition) (AGC (RDA)), is the chief acquisition attorney for the Department of the Navy (DON) and the senior legal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development & Acquisition (ASN (RDA)). Mr. Frankfurt advises ASN(RDA) and the Deputy ASNs on a wide range of acquisition issues involving multi-billion dollar shipbuilding, aircraft and weapons programs. He also sets Departmental legal policy pertaining to Government contracts and procurement matters. Mr. Frankfurt leads an organization of more than 30 attorneys, including attorneys located in the International Programs Office and the Strategic Systems Program Office.

From April 2007 to March 2009, Mr. Frankfurt was the Counsel for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and led an organization of approximately 100 attorneys located at NAVFAC headquarters at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington D.C., and 26 field activities located throughout the world. NAVFAC employed some 17,000 military and civilian personnel to provide support to the Navy and Marine Corps in the areas of military construction, planning and design, environmental planning, remediation and compliance, and real estate acquisition, management and disposal.

Before serving as Counsel, NAVFAC, Mr. Frankfurt was the Deputy Counsel for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) from January 2006 - April 2007, where he served as the principal assistant to the NAVSEA Counsel in managing a legal office of over 110 attorneys located at headquarters and in 20 field offices in support of a $32 billion budget for the research, development, acquisition and fleet support of ships and ship systems. Major clients included the NAVSEA Commander and his staff, as well as five Program Executive Officers and the Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. From 2004 to 2006, he was the Deputy Counsel to the ASN (RDA), advising the ASN (RD&A) and his ten deputies on a wide range of acquisition issues in shipbuilding, aircraft procurement, information technology and other areas, with related policy and legislative aspects.

Mr. Frankfurt also served as the Deputy Counsel for the Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) from 1997 – 2004, where he was responsible for providing and managing legal services in the areas of government contract law, fiscal law, civilian personnel law, ethics, FOIA/Privacy Act, environmental law, and litigation relating to the procurement and maintenance of the Navy’s submarine launched nuclear ballistic missile program. Other assignments include serving as a trial attorney with the Naval Information Systems Management Command and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command from 1992-1997. In that position, he litigated government contract cases before the GSBCA, GAO and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. From 1989-1992, he served as a trial attorney with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and litigated government contract and civilian personnel cases before the ASBCA, MSPB and Federal Courts. He also served as a civil rights attorney with the EEOC from 1986-89.

Mr. Frankfurt is a Judge Advocate Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm where he served as a contract law officer assigned to the Third Army, and was awarded the Bronze Star.

Mr. Frankfurt has a BS and an MBA from George Mason University. He received his JD from Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the District of Columbia bar.