DoD Embracing Continuous Monitoring (E172)

Director of Cyber Defense & NETOPS

Colonel Richard Cruz Jr. serves as Director, G36 Cyber Defense and Network Operations, U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER).

COL Cruz was born on Guam and graduated from the University of Guam with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in May 2000.

COL Cruz spent his first eight years in the Army at Fort Lewis Wash., in various leadership positions, including Large Extension Node Platoon Leader, Data Platoon Leader and corps and brigade staff officer. He has also served as a Knowledge Manager at U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawaii; as Cyber Chief of Current Operations and Chief of Plans and Operations at the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade, Md.; as a fellow at the National Security Agency; as ARCYBER chief of DoD Network Operations; and as commander of 2nd Battalion, 1st Information Operations Command, one of the Army’s NSA Certified Red Team organizations. He has completed two combat deployments in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

His military education includes the Signal Officer Basic Course; the Signal Captains Career Course; the Intermediate Level Education Course; the Information Systems Officer Course; the Joint Network Node Operation Course; the Joint Network Attack Course; and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Inter-Agency Fellow program. In addition to his military education, he has numerous industry certifications to include CCNA Cyber Ops, CISSP, CEH, and GCIH. He has earned a master’s degree in Information Management at Syracuse University with advanced study in Information Security Management, a CIO Certificate from CIO University, and a master’s degree in National Resourcing and Strategy with a concentration in Global Supply Chain and Logistics from Eisenhower College, National Defense University.

COL Cruz’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal; the Army Commendation Medal; the Army Achievement Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Iraq Campaign Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; and the Combat Action Badge.