CMMC requirements are starting to accelerate across the defense industrial base. Matt Bruggeman, Director of GTM Federal at A-LIGN, breaks down what defense contractors need to know right now, including: 

• Why CMMC requirements are increasingly appearing in DoD contracts, and what the November 2026 Phase 2 deadline means for organizations handling CUI 
• How under-preparedness at the scoping and strategy stage is the most common pitfall A-LIGN sees as a C3PAO — and why it leads to costly rework later in the process 
• Why building a well-developed CMMC compliance plan from the start is critical to avoiding setbacks when you reach the formal assessment stage 

Find out why CMMC compliance strategy starts long before the audit — and what organizations can do now to avoid rework down the road.