Pentagon pauses cyber audit rule blamed for supplier exits

WASHINGTON, July 13 : The Pentagon is suspending the next phase of a cybersecurity certification program for defense contractors, backing off a compliance requirement that industry executives had warned was pushing small suppliers out of military work and narrowing competition in the defense supply chain.The Defense Department's long-delayed U.S. Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification began in November 2025 and aims to protect sensitive information, known as controlled unclassified information.The Phase 2 rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, which was to take effect on November 10 of this year, will be paused immediately, the department said. Program offices will for now require only Level 1 or Level 2 self-assessments rather than the third-party audits Phase 2 wo