CLEAR LINES OF COMMUNICATION T COL. MARK R. TAYLOR
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Defen- sive Cyber Operations, Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems
TITLE: Project manager YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 12 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 24
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level III in program management, Level I in informa- tion technology and in engineering
EDUCATION: MBA, George Wash- ington University; Master of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College; Master of Public Administration, Strayer Univer- sity; B.S. in environmental engineering, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
AWARDS: Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2nd award), Meritorious Service Medal (4th award), Army Commendation Medal (4th award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd award), Senior Army Aviator Badge, Army Basic Space Badge, Air Assault Badge, Army Parachut- ist Badge, Netherlands Parachutist Wings, and Army Staff Identification Badge
eenagers are notorious for making bad decisions. Until the fron- tal lobe of the brain reaches full maturity, in a person’s mid- to late 20s, humans are prone to making impulsive choices, taking unnecessary risks and being particularly susceptible to peer pres-
sure. So if, hypothetically, you were a teenage boy and your friend jumped off the roof of your house, splashing impressively into the swimming pool below, you might decide to follow suit. And if you misjudged the angle, you might fracture your neck in two places when you hit the water. And if you were worried about your parents’ reaction, you might not mention that bit about the roof. You were just playing Marco Polo, after all. Hypothetically, of course. Not that Col. Mark Taylor knows anything about that. “My version of pre-Airborne school training, I guess,” he joked. He’s still thanking his very non-hypothetical lucky stars.
Tankfully, he had no lasting physical effects from the mishap, and would later be fully cleared to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and eventually to become a Black Hawk pilot. But he did learn an important lesson. While he was still in 10th grade, recovering from his injuries and sporting a full halo brace, Taylor’s parents got wind of the real story from another parent. When confronted with the truth, “I crumbled like a stale cracker,” he said. “I like to say, that was the last time I lied to my parents.” Tat importance of integrity and clear communication stuck with him, and he has prioritized those values throughout his career.
Today, Taylor is the project manager (PM) for Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) at the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS). “I am responsible for the delivery of innovative hardware and software defensive cyber solutions to defend the U.S. Army networks around the world,” he said. Specifically, DCO protects against and responds to irreg- ular network activity caused by cyber threats. Because of the time-sensitive and critical nature of its work, DCO is also the only Army program partic- ipating in a new DOD Budget Activity 08 (BA-08) software and digital technology pilot program for the 2021 fiscal year. BA-08 is a new pilot fund- ing mechanism that allows the program to spend its funding for research, development, testing, procurement or operations and maintenance purposes. It aims to help program managers push capabilities through the acquisition process without artificial delays because of not having the right “color of money” (appropriation type).
“Many people are surprised at how quickly the environment changes in the cyber domain. In order to stay relevant, we need to be able to rapidly move through the acquisition process, to get the most advanced capabilities into our cyber warriors’ hands quickly,” Taylor said. “Acquisition can move quickly if all the stakeholders [i.e., PMs, users, contracting officers, testers, etc.]
40
Army AL&T Magazine
Summer 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
