Marine Corps standing up new cyber program manager

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA -- The Marine Corps this summer began standing up a program manager for cyber operations, according to a service official. 

“Their mission is to provide equipment to [Marine Forces Cyber] for defensive and operational cyber missions that aren’t a part of the regular acquisition of the” Marine Corps Enterprise Network, said Col. Benjamin Stinson, portfolio manager for supporting establishment systems.

Stinson described his portfolio as the “enterprise IT guys.”

Stinson said the final team will be about two dozen people and that the service is still determining what will be the program office’s “end state” composition. He also said the equipment the program office will provide will be smaller dollar items.

“Phase zero of the next conflict is happening now and it’s happening on our networks,” he said. There’s been “lots of heat and friction in this portfolio in the last year, and my crystal ball says it’s” going to get worse in the future.