In San Diego, U.S. Navy officials announced that the service’s next principal cyber advisor would be in place in the coming weeks, but declined to divulge the exact identity of the individual who will be taking over.
The PCA is responsible for enforcing Department of Defense mandates and keeping top Navy and Marine Corps officials informed about all cyber matters and is closely linked to the role of chief information officer. Scott St. Pierre, who has been serving as the PCA, said on Feb. 13 that the next person for the job has been selected and is expected to start within two to six weeks. However, he did not disclose the person’s identity.
The previous cyber advisor, Chris Cleary, has joined defense contractor ManTech after years on the job. The Navy is reworking its cyber practices amid growing threats to digital infrastructure, both domestically and internationally.
The next PCA will need to bring people together and foster a shared sense of cyber responsibility, according to St. Pierre.
Colin Demarest is a reporter at C4ISRNET, where he covers military networks, cyber and IT.
