As the Defense Industrial Base transitions into 2026, cybersecurity has never been more essential to maintaining mission readiness and preserving national advantage. 2025 was marked by significant progress. Organizations strengthened their compliance strategies, improved controls, and navigated evolving requirements. But 2026 requires more than preparation; this is the year we operationalize CMMC and prove maturity with every action.
To lead with purpose and secure our role in the future defense economy, here are the Top 5 CMMC New Year’s Resolutions every organization should adopt.
Policies and procedures are only valuable when they are lived daily. Mature organizations ensure:
Leaders must create a culture where cybersecurity is not a checklist; it is how business gets done.
Cybersecurity risk doesn’t stop at the organization’s boundary. Every partner, subcontractor, and supplier shapes national resilience.
In 2026, trust must be verified, not assumed.
Leaders will establish:
A strong supply chain is a competitive advantage.
Technology alone does not achieve maturity, people do.
Security becomes real when:
Cybersecurity is a human mission first.
In the world of compliance, proof is power.
If a control isn’t documented, tracked, and demonstrated, it isn’t compliant. Organizations that keep their evidence current throughout the year avoid the costly assessment scramble.
Audit readiness is no longer an event; it is an always-on operating state.
Threats evolve. Requirements evolve. Systems evolve.
So must we.
Leading organizations:
Compliance is a milestone; security maturity is the destination.
By embracing these resolutions, organizations not only strengthen compliance; they reinforce national defense, safeguard data, and demonstrate commitment to the warfighters who rely on them.
2026 will reward the organizations that:
2026 is the year we turn readiness into reliability and compliance into confidence.
Travis Goldbach is a cybersecurity and compliance leader with 20 years of experience driving growth and go-to-market strategy for federally regulated industries. He currently leads Coalfire Federal’s unified GTM strategy and previously guided AWS toward CMMC certification while helping customers advance secure, scalable compliance in the cloud.
