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U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command
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Marines with Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command pose for photos in cyber operations room at Lasswell Hall aboard Fort Meade, Maryland, Feb. 5, 2020. MARFORCYBER Marines conduct offensive and defensive cyber operations in support of United States Cyber Command and operate, secure and defend the Marine Corps Enterprise Network.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Osborne

Partnerships Enables Cyber Marines to Fight at the Speed of Relevance

14 Feb 2020 | Staff Sgt. Jacob D. Osborne Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – Brig. Gen. Arthur J. Pasagian, the Commanding General of Marine Corps Systems Command, visited Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command headquarters at Lasswell Hall Feb. 11, 2020. Pasagian was here to meet the Marines who operate, secure and defend the Marine Corps Enterprise Network and receive mission updates from the Marines who counter violent extremist organizations in cyberspace.

Maj. Gen. Matthew G. Glavy, MARFORCYBER and Joint Task Force Ares commander, welcomed Pasagian to Lasswell Hall, a modern four-story building, located within the National Security Agency’s campus in Fort Meade, Maryland. 

“We’re operating in an extremely dynamic environment. What we think we know about the adversary, the tactics they employ, our strengths and vulnerabilities change every 60 to 90 days. We need to be able to adapt our systems, tools and programs to execute our mission at the speed of relevance,” said Glavy.

To adapt, MARCORSYSCOM placed a program office within Lasswell Hall that is one of a kind. The team of approximately 20 Marines and civilians is the only program manager office in the Marine Corps in direct support of an operational command. The team collaborates daily with subject matter experts at MARFORCYBER to compress the capabilities delivery cycle from start to finish.

While acquisitions remain their focus, Lt. Col. Craig M. Clarkson highlighted a few of the other ways his team is working with MARFORCYBER to solve Marine Corps wide problems. “We talk a lot about using artificial intelligence and machine learning to inform the battlespace common operating picture and situational awareness, but there wasn’t a plan to store the amount of data required to make the machine learning actually work,” said Clarkson. “The acquisition of Big Data Platform - Cyber Hunt & Analytics Operation System (BDP-CHAOS) will enable these capabilities and the process took months instead of years due to the partnership.”

Maj. Teal A. Peterson is a new member of the program office’s team. He is coming from the Naval Postgraduate School, where he completed a master’s degree in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Peterson will use his expertise by partnering with the MARFORCYBER capabilities development section to bring emerging concepts and tools into the command’s cyber arsenal. The goal is to support the warfighter with state of the art technology.

“Daily collaboration allows us to deliver cyber capabilities at the speed of relevance,” said Clarkson, the program manager for Program Manager Marine Corps Cyberspace Operations. 

“We realized the partnership between MARCORSYSCOM and MARFORCYBER needed to be much stronger, in fact, it’s critical. We are now in the process of standing up Task Force Phoenix – a combined effort between MARCORSYSCOM, MARFORCYBER, and other stakeholders,” said Capt. Collin Chew, the Agile implementation officer for MARFORCYBER. 

Task Force Phoenix’s mission will be to innovate and conduct the rapid design, build, test and integration of defensive and DoDIN cyberspace capabilities to enable freedom of action across all warfighting domains, and deny the same to adversaries. Phoenix is primarily a command and control construct to enable rapid execution of cyber-related capabilities based assessment results inside the program objective memorandum’s current year of execution.

The briefs Pasagian received during his visit to MARFORCYBER helped him understand the scope and depth of the cyberspace domain. 

“Our partnership with MARCORSYSCOM is making a tremendous difference in our lethality and agility. I’m enthusiastic anytime senior leaders visit Lasswell Hall and meet these talented Marines. The insights gained from sitting down with the people ‘doing the do’ in Fort Meade and the perspective you get from working within the cryptologic platform changes the way you understand and approach warfighting,” added Glavy.

For more news and information about MARFORCYBER, visit www.marforcyber.marines.mil/ or follow us on twitter @MARFORCYBER.


U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command