Mr. Robert L. Cross currently serves as the Deputy Commander for Systems Engineering and Acquisition Logistics at Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia. In this capacity, he provides senior technical authority and executive leadership for all U.S. Marine Corps ground and information technology systems. He is responsible for directing enterprise-level systems engineering, managing the full product lifecycle, and ensuring Marine Corps warfighting capabilities are fully integrated, interoperable, and certified. His portfolio also includes oversight of acquisition and logistics support, providing centralized guidance, advocacy, and technical rigor to ensure programs achieve success from concept development through sustainment.
Mr. Cross was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in October 2025.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Cross served as the Deputy Program Executive Officer for Land Systems (PEO LS), the Marine Corps’ sole Program Executive Office. In this role, he provided strategic leadership and portfolio management for all Marine Corps ACAT I programs, along with numerous smaller programs. His leadership ensured effective integration across the full spectrum of acquisition disciplines and alignment with the Commandant’s modernization priorities.
Before his tenure at PEO LS, Mr. Cross served as both Acting Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager for the Global Combat Support System–Marine Corps (GCSS-MC), a Major Automated Information System (MAIS) and Business Capability Acquisition Category (BCAT) I program. Under his leadership, the program delivered critical system improvements to the operating forces while implementing innovative contracting and funding strategies that increased agility and responsiveness.
Mr. Cross also served as a project officer within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Programs and Logistics Management (DASN E&LM), where he led efforts to expand DASN E&LM’s oversight of Naval Amphibious Programs. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Study Team, which reported directly to the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Cross held several key leadership positions within Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault (PM AAA), including the first Product Director for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle program, Director of Test and Evaluation, and Director of Acquisition and Business Management.
Before joining the Marine Corps acquisition community, Mr. Cross began his federal career as a structural engineer with the Topside Composites Branch at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.
Mr. Cross is a certified Level III Acquisition Professional in both Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering (SPRDE) and Program Management (PM). He has more than 34 years of distinguished civilian service.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia (1991) and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from The George Washington University (1998).