The defense industrial base is entering a new era one where cybersecurity compliance is no longer a best practice, but a mandatory condition of doing business. With escalating cyber threats targeting the defense supply chain, the Department of Defense has made its expectations unmistakably clear: contractors must demonstrate measurable, verifiable cybersecurity maturity across their entire enterprise and supplier ecosystem.

At the center of this shift are NIST SP 800-161 and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.

NIST 800-161: Securing the Defense Supply Chain.

NIST SP 800-161 establishes the framework for Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM). It recognizes a hard truth: even if your internal systems are secure, your mission can be compromised through vendors, subcontractors, software providers, or cloud services.

For defense contractors, 800-161 requires:

• Visibility into supplier cybersecurity practices
• Risk-based vendor selection and monitoring
• Formal governance over third-party access to systems and data
• Continuous assessment of supply-chain threats

In short, you are now accountable not only for your cybersecurity posture but for the resilience of your entire supply chain.