Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.

Industry groups raise concerns over CMMC compliance costs, program capacity needs

A coalition of industry groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is seeking flexibility when it comes to implementing requirements in the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, arguing that it is needed to address compliance costs as work to finalize regulations gets underway.

CMMC accreditation body proposes changes to appeals process, conflicts-of-interest policy

The accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is suggesting changes to the proposed rule to implement the major initiative, including involving the Defense Department in the assessment appeals process and establishing consistency in conflict-of-interest requirements.

Defense group raises concerns to Pentagon over flow-down requirements for CMMC program

The Aerospace Industries Association is asking the Defense Department to provide information on how it will address flow-down requirements and the roles and responsibilities for primes and subcontractors, in response to the first proposed rule for the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

Major industry coalition seeks clarity from DOD on CUI, addressing assessment gaps for CMMC program

A coalition representing large defense and tech groups is asking the Defense Department to provide clarity on marking controlled unclassified information, defining responsibilities in contracts and flexibility on addressing assessment gaps, in formal comments on the first proposed rule for the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

The week ahead

Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week in advance of the scheduled March 11 release of the fiscal year 2025 budget request.

Inside the Navy's $2B plan to surge solid-rocket motor production and revitalize a historic arsenal

As demand for munitions surges amid heightened global tensions, the Navy has launched a multibillion-dollar plan to fill critical industrial base gaps by revitalizing the government-run production of solid-rocket motors and other key energetics at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division.

STRATCOM eyes re-MIRVing current ICBM, 'uploading' as hedge against modernization delays

The head of the U.S. military's nuclear strike forces believes the time has come to consider re-outfitting Minuteman III missiles with more than one warhead, a move that could roll back arms control measures that removed two of the three multiple independent targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) that were originally emplaced across the ICBM fleet.