The Department of Defense is actively working on a plan to incorporate defense industrial base cybersecurity requirements into defense contracts as part of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program (CMMC). The first contract incorporating these requirements is expected in 2025.
But for small businesses that don’t have the resources on their own to meet stringent cybersecurity requirements, the Army plans to launch a pilot program called Next Generation Commercial Operations in Defense Enclaves (NCODE), said Gabe Camarillo, Undersecretary of the Army. Ta. He said this during a discussion Tuesday at the 2024 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington.
“This is essentially about small businesses collaborating, sharing information, [and] The most important thing is to do the original work that we need to do that will give us a threat vector to the adversaries that we know are very active in the cybersecurity space,” Camarillo said. Ta. [that] It is CMMC compliant, so operating in this environment will meet all departmental requirements. ”
Camarillo said many of the small businesses the Army worked with last year were at least partially at risk from cybersecurity threat vectors.
“Depending on how they leverage their capital and how many resources they have, their ability to overcome [those risks]Despite department-wide efforts, it can be extremely difficult. ” he said. “So we knew we had to do something.”
Camarillo said the Army has set aside about $26 million for the Pilot NCODE program in both fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
”[It] This is going to be the first attempt to create some kind of secure, confidential area where there are collaboration tools, there’s a workspace where these companies can do what they need to do, and where they can also start their software development efforts. “For people who are in that kind of business,” he said.
How small businesses can apply to participate in NCODE, and how many companies can participate, is still under consideration within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, Camarillo said. Ta.
“I think we’re going to learn a lot in terms of how it’s used and how effective it is in the first kind of groups of small businesses that we’re bringing in,” he said. “And I think the goal is to learn from that and continue to evolve to make the program even better.”
Department of Defense Program
Helping small businesses succeed in collaboration with the Department of Defense is part of the Department of Defense Small Business Program Office’s role, and the agency has been successful in that effort, said program director Farooq Misa. Ta.
One example is the Department of Defense’s APEX Accelerator program. This program aims to teach small businesses what is needed to do business with the government.
“Our APEX accelerator program was previously [Defense Logistics Agency,] I took over about 2 years ago. [includes] We have 97 centers across the country that help companies learn how to do business with the Department of Defense,” Mita said.
According to Mitha, APEX Accelerators is currently focused on helping small businesses become compliant with CMMC, etc., and finding more information about programs and opportunities that exist within the Department of Defense. That’s what it means.
Misa said the Pentagon’s mentor-protege program has been strengthened in recent years. The program is the oldest continuously operating federal mentor-protégé program in existence. The program helps small businesses partner with other companies to expand their footprint within the defense industrial base.
Regarding the Mentor-Protege Program, he said the Department of Defense worked to restore funding for the program to the President’s budget and also worked with Congress to make the program permanent in fiscal year 2023. Changes have also been made to the program to improve performance. For example, the revenue requirement for companies seeking a mentor role has changed from $100 million to $25 million.
“We strongly believe that sometimes, or often, small businesses are better able to coach small businesses than large corporations,” he said.
Companies that serve as mentors within the Mentor-Protege program are already eligible for cost reimbursement based on their role, but the new pilot program offers protege companies up to 25% rebates for engineering, software development, or manufacturing customization. Refunds will be provided, Misa said.
Mita also said that the timeline for developing a partnership agreement has been accelerated as part of the Mentor-Protege Program.
“It used to take 12 to 18 months to schedule a contract,” he said. “We have now created a new centralized contracting mechanism that allows us to create better mentor/apprentice contracts within 60 days.”