[1] In 1990, she assumed the role of Procurement Head of Electronics at the Department of National Defense (DND) in Ottawa, Canada.

In 1992, McFarland returned to the Marine Corps where she remained until February 2005, when she concluded her role as Director of Battle Management and Air Defense Systems (BMADS).

[1] On October 1, 2011, she began acting as the first assistant secretary of defense for acquisition.

[1] She was sworn in on May 24, 2012, and was succeeded by acting assistant secretary Dyke D. Weatherington on January 20, 2017.

[1] From 2018 to 2021, McFarland was a member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI).