DoW Small Business

08/14/2026

Heading to San Diego for Navy Gold Coast 2026?

Connect with the Office of Industrial Base Growth to learn how we are expanding opportunities for businesses to contribute to the defense mission.

Visit us at:

📍 Booth #1123 — Meet the Office of Industrial Base Growth team and explore pathways for working with the Department of War.

📍 Booth #1033 — Discover our defense marketplace tools designed to help businesses strengthen cybersecurity, assess readiness, increase capability visibility, and connect with mission-aligned opportunities—including Project Spectrum, LYNX, and Valion Cloud.

We look forward to meeting innovators, suppliers, and industry partners working to strengthen the defense industrial base.

08/12/2026

There’s still time to make your voice heard.

The Department of War’s RFI on reforming CMMC and reducing the compliance burden for the Defense Industrial Base closes August 14.

Industry feedback is critical to understanding what’s working, where barriers remain, and how we can strengthen cybersecurity while supporting a robust, diverse, and resilient industrial base.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help shape what comes next.

📌 SAM.gov RFI Link: https://bit.ly/CMMCRFI

07/31/2026

Who represents your company matters. Their client list could include the very capabilities your work is designed to counter.

New requirements under Section 851 of the National Defense Authorization Act place restrictions on Department of War contractors that use lobbying firms also representing Chinese military companies.

Project CLEAR — Contractor Lobbying Evaluation for Adversarial Relationships — helps industry understand what these requirements mean and how to prepare.

Defense contractors, lobbying firms, and industry partners can access implementation guidance, FAQs, checklists, and other resources to help identify potential conflicts and take informed action.

▶️ Watch the video to learn more.

🔗 Visit business.defense.gov/CLEAR

07/31/2026

Your capabilities. The right opportunities. A clearer path to the defense marketplace.

LYNX is a digital platform built to help businesses more effectively navigate and compete in the defense marketplace. From assessing your company’s readiness and identifying next steps to researching the market and finding opportunities aligned with your capabilities, LYNX brings powerful tools together in one place.

Join one of our upcoming live demo sessions to see LYNX in action and learn how it can help your business:

🔹 Assess readiness and prioritize next steps
🔹 Showcase your company and capabilities
🔹 Identify opportunities aligned with what you do
🔹 Research markets and emerging demand
🔹 Make more informed decisions about where to compete

Join one of our upcoming live demo sessions for an inside look at this new digital platform from the Department of War Office of Industrial Base Growth.

📅 August 5, 12, 19 & 26
⏰ 2:30–3:30 p.m. ET
🔗 Reserve your seat: https://business.defense.gov/Training

07/29/2026

The Department is actively seeking industry input through the official Reforming CMMC and Reducing Compliance Burden for the Defense Industrial Base Request for Information (RFI) on SAM.gov.

🖥️ Submit comments here: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/89ef9bfb0834473791e991c712698d94/view

🗓️ Deadline: Thursday, August 14, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET

Industry feedback will help inform the CMMC Reform Task Force as it develops recommendations to strengthen cybersecurity while reducing unnecessary compliance burden across the defense industrial base.

07/23/2026

The Department of War is seeking input from businesses across the defense industrial base to help shape the future of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.

Following the suspension of CMMC Phase II on July 13, the Department launched a 60-day review and is inviting industry feedback through an official Request for Information (RFI) on SAM.gov.

Share your feedback to help shape a practical, scalable cybersecurity approach that strengthens national security and the defense marketplace while reducing unnecessary burden.

📅 RFI closes August 14 at 12:00 p.m. ET

🔗 Submit comments through the official SAM.gov RFI: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/89ef9bfb0834473791e991c712698d94/view

While the review is underway, cybersecurity requirements remain in effect. Companies should continue implementing NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 security controls, complying with applicable DFARS requirements, and completing required Phase I self-assessments.

07/21/2026

Section 851 is now in effect.

The law establishes new contracting restrictions designed to strengthen the integrity of America's defense supply chains by addressing lobbying relationships involving companies on the Department of War’s Section 1260H List.

PROJECT CLEAR provides guidance to help organizations understand the law, evaluate potential impacts, and support informed compliance decisions.

Learn more: https://business.defense.gov/clear

07/14/2026

We heard. We acted.

Small and non-traditional businesses are essential to building the capabilities our warfighters need. To ensure cybersecurity requirements strengthen—not restrict—the defense industrial base, yesterday the Department of War took action to reduce unnecessary barriers while maintaining critical protections.

The DoW Chief Information Officer and Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment announced the suspension of CMMC Phase II requirements and launched a comprehensive review to identify scalable, resilient cybersecurity solutions aligned with the Department’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy priorities.

By reducing unnecessary barriers while maintaining critical cybersecurity protections, we are strengthening the industrial base and expanding opportunities for the companies that power the Arsenal of Freedom.

Help us share this news with businesses across the supply chain by reposting to your network!

Learn more: https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require

07/13/2026

Today, the United States Department of War is taking decisive action to revitalize the DIB and dramatically reduce compliance burden on small, medium, and non-traditional businesses.

In support of Secretary Hegseth’s “Arsenal of Freedom” and the Acquisition Transformation Strategy, we are announcing the immediate suspension of CMMC Phase II requirements.

While robust cybersecurity and operational resilience remain critical, non-negotiable priorities, recent data makes it clear: the current CMMC framework creates prohibitive costs and duplicative red tape. Administrative hurdles are forcing innovative companies to choose between bureaucratic paperwork exercises and exiting the defense sector altogether. We cannot let bureaucracy impede the delivery of capabilities to our warfighters.

What stays in place:
· Phase I self-assessment requirements.
· Enforcement of NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 (focusing on tangible cybersecurity uplift over administrative overhead).
· DFARS obligations to safeguard covered defense information.

Next steps:
DoW CIO Kirsten Davies is immediately establishing a CMMC Reform Task Force to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the program over the next 60 days. Additionally, an RFI is being issued to gather DIB feedback. We want to hear from you.

We can risk reduce our digital ecosystem while empowering American innovators. We can do both... We must do both.

Submit your RFI feedback and read the full memos here: https://dowcio.war.gov

Read the press release: https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require

Learn More: https://dowcio.war.gov/brilliantbasics

Welcome to the "Brilliant at the Basics" campaign — the Department of War (DoW) Chief Information Officer (CIO) initiative dedicated to empowering our Defense Industrial Base (DIB) partners. Our mission is to help small, mid-sized, and non-traditional companies confidently secure their networks, p...

07/07/2026

Could your company play a role in strengthening America's manufacturing surge capacity? Are you a commercial company with manufacturing equipment? If so, you are a fit!

LYNX continues to expand the opportunities available to registered businesses. Through a new Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network (CRMN) pathway, companies can now indicate their interest, assess their potential alignment with the program, and connect directly with the CRMN for evaluation.

It's another way LYNX helps businesses discover mission-aligned opportunities and connect with the Department of War’s industrial base priorities.

Register today at lynxconnect.io.