Leadership of the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence changed hands Friday morning, with, quite literally, great fanfare as Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton relinquished duties as Commanding General to Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic in a ceremony at Fort Eisenhower’s Barton Field.
The observance began at 9 a.m., with soldiers in a formation representing every unit on post.
Stanton is leaving his role after three years commanding the Cyber Center amid his nomination for lieutenant general, and his imminent new position as director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network at Fort Meade, Md.
“I am immensely proud for having served alongside you – watching your talent and motivation transform big ideas into reality,” Stanton said in his remarks during the ceremony. “I look forward to continuing to watch from afar, sending you data from the big pipes all the way to the handheld leader radio.”
Before his installation as commander in June of 2021, Stanton, who holds three degrees in computer science—including a bachelor’s from the Military Academy at West Point and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University—held several positions in his nearly 30 years of service. Among them were platoon leader, and then battalion personnel officer, in the 1-508th Infantry Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, commander of B Company of the 1-502nd Infantry in Iraq, and even a computer science instructor at West Point.
Maj. Gen. Stanton offered words of encouragement to soldiers still serving in the Cyber Center of Excellence. His exhortations underscored quality of life—“Do your part to make your unit, your installation, your neighborhood better”—pursuing necessary change—“Always improve your fighting position. Build on the foundation you have already created”—and data literacy, reminding soldiers that they are the Army’s technical professionals: “know what you’re talking about. Invest the time in your own professional self-development to keep pace with the rate of change of technology… our Army needs your expertise.”
Maj. Gen. Janovic, also a West Point grad, began his 31-year career at Fort Eisenhower, then Fort Gorden, as a platoon leader in the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade. The President’s Commission on White House Fellowships selected him to be a White House Fellow in 2008, and in 2009 he trained the Special Troops Battalion of 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division to eastern Afghanistan.
He joined Cyber Command in 2019 as the deputy commander of Joint Force Headquarters – Cyber (Army).
After officially assuming command, Janovic, in his presentation, lauded Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle, presiding officer of the event, for hosting the change of command.
“In so doing, you have allowed for a physical reminder of what makes the Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Eisenhower ‘excellent,’” Janovic said. “It is the men and women in front of us and all those they represent. It is they who forge and project power for our Army drill sergeants, instructors and leaders… committed to forging the future by building technical acumen and the profession of warfighting for soldiers, noncommissioned officers and officers alike.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
