President Biden has nominated Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton to become the next director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DoDIN), the Pentagon announced Friday.
If confirmed, Stanton will be promoted to Lieutenant General, earning his third star.
Stanton will be stepping into the new role as Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner – current commander of the JFHQ-DoDIN and director of DISA – steps down after leading DISA and the JFHQ-DoDIN for three years. He took over the position from Navy Vice Adm. Nancy A. Norton, who retired in February 2021.
In his new role, Stanton will oversee a global team comprised of over 20,000 warfighters, civilians, and contractors who deliver defense communications solutions to the president, Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and combatant commanders.
Most recently, Stanton served as the commander for the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence – taking charge in June 2021. During his tenure, Stanton took on several challenges facing the Army including the service branch’s data challenges shaping the future of its cyber and electronic warfare capabilities.
During his military career, Stanton has built an extensive military cybersecurity background with several roles at U.S. Cyber Command and within the Army cyber enterprise, mostly in the defensive sphere.
Gen. Stanton graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1995. In 2015, he transitioned to the Cyber Branch and holds three degrees in computer science, including a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University.
