Newly promoted Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, who served as the commanding general of the Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Eisenhower until August, recently took command of the Defense Information Systems Agency in Washington, D.C.
In a ceremonial passing of the flags on Friday, Oct. 4, Stanton assumed directorship and command, vowing to carry forward the momentum established by his predecessor, United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert J. Skinner, according to an Oct. 4 article written by Marco A. Villasana Jr., DISA Office of Strategic Communication and Public Affairs.
Presided over by some of the department’s highest-ranking leaders — Air Force Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency/chief of Central Security Service, and Leslie A. Beavers, acting DOD chief information officer — the ceremony marked a significant transition for the DOD’s premier IT and telecommunications provider.
“I leave this agency and command with a deep sense of humility, optimism, confidence and, most importantly, honor,” said Skinner in his farewell remarks. “I have truly been privileged to lead and be among our nation’s finest, working the most difficult problems, making the impossible possible. It is my hope today as I relinquish leadership of these two organizations, that I too have given more than I have received.”
Read more: Stanton reflect on three years at Fort Eisenhower
Skinner, who served as the DISA director and JFHQ-DODIN commander since 2021, was recognized for his role in advancing the department’s digital transformation efforts, securing critical infrastructure, and fostering a culture of innovation.
Stanton brings extensive experience in cyber operations and information warfare. He acknowledged Skinner’s substantial contributions and expressed his eagerness to build upon the strong foundation he established.
“Lt. Gen. Skinner has been a mentor of mine for years, providing valuable counsel and sage advice,” said Stanton. “I’m honored for the opportunity to join the amazing team in stride as we remain trusted to connect, protect and serve.”
Haugh emphasized the strategic importance of the leadership change, underscoring the critical roles DISA and JFHQ-DODIN have in defending the nation’s networks and ensuring freedom of action in cyberspace.
“This team, all of you, are engaged with our adversaries and our competitors on a daily basis, 24/7, and the very definition of success is nothing short of mission assurance for the joint force and for serving our nation’s decisive advantages,” said Haugh. “The mission has been accomplished by all of you over the past three years, enabled by Bob Skinner’s leadership. It is a fantastic way to wrap up a career of dedication serving our nation. JFHQ-DODIN and DISA will be in terrific and very capable hands with Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton at the helm and all of you working missions. Paul was built for this job.”
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Beavers also highlighted the alignment of DISA and JFHQ-DODIN with the department’s overarching priorities for IT and cybersecurity, focusing on recent successes and the expectation moving forward.
“This transition means not only a change in leadership, but also a change in perspective,” said Beavers. “I can tell you [Skinner] was the right leader to take on the challenges that DISA faced coming out of COVID and setting a path for the future. It is going to take a warrior-scholar to take the handoff from Bob and move those and many other initiatives down range, and we found one. [Stanton] is the perfect person to take on this challenge.”
As Stanton assumed leadership, he laid out his vision for the future of the organizations, emphasizing the need to stay ahead of adversaries and continue providing exceptional support to the warfighter.
“We are in an unprecedented period of significant change in an unsettled world that has an insatiable appetite for data,” Stanton said. “At the core of our responsibilities, we must securely and reliably get the right data to the right place at the right time to make a better and faster decision than our enemies, period. This is our business. This is warfighting as it has been, it is today and will be in the future. This agency and command are critical to our nation’s warfighting success. Failure is not an option, and excellence is our standard.”
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