The the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program from the United States Department of War (“DoW”) is fundamentally reshaping the way DoW buys goods and services from contractors.  Instead of burying cybersecurity requirements in an obscure contract clause, CMMC makes cybersecurity a foundational requirement.  Contractors must affirm that they meet, and in many cases even hire an authorized third-party to validate that they meet, certain requirements or the contractor cannot participate in DoW contracts, even as a subcontractor.  This applies to everyone, regardless of how many levels down in the supply chain they are, as long as they handle the government’s information (unless they are providing Commercial Off The Shelf products).

DoW estimates that nearly 80,000 companies will need third-party validation, and many industry experts believe that this is a significant underestimate.  This means there is a huge demand for CMMC Certified Assessors (“CCAs”).  In fact, our estimate is that at least 2500 CCAs are needed to support industry demand.  As of February 2026, there are only about 750 CCAs.  If we don’t add more CCAs to the CMMC Ecosystem, the impact on our national economy and national security could be devastating.

The CUI Institute was founded to help educate those in the defense supply chain about CMMC, Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”), cybersecurity, and more.  It seems only natural to us that we should also help those wanting to become CCAs, including those early in their journey who are earning their CMMC Certified Professional (“CCP”) certification.

We also wanted to show our appreciation for our brave service members and veterans.  The sacrifices they make are truly humbling.  We are excited to announce our first ever CMMC Training for Veterans Scholarship, which is available to all those current or former active duty military! As part of the Scholarship program, five (5) applicants will be awarded a total of $600 each which will be applied toward the cost of their CMMC CCP or CCA training with a participating training provider.