CMMC Phase 2 Pause: What Contractors Should Do Now

On July 13, 2026, the Department of War suspended the transition to CMMC Phase 2, pausing the third-party assessment requirement that was set to take effect on contracts starting November 10. The suspension holds for a 60-day review led by the newly formed CMMC Reform Task Force. Within a day, the headlines had reduced it to three words: CMMC is dead.

That read doesn’t hold up. Phase 1 self-assessments, SPRS score submissions, DFARS 252.204-7012 safeguarding obligations, and the NIST SP 800-171 baseline underneath the program remain in force. Deadline pressure eased. The underlying obligations did not move, and contractors who treat the pause as a reprieve have a harder problem waiting for them when Phase 2 resumes.

This session is co-hosted by 360 Advanced and Steel Patriot Partners. David Brosi, Doug Stonier and Daniel Lipovski will work through where the CMMC program stands today, what the Reform Task Force review could reshape, and how contractors can use the weeks before its mid-September findings land. Both work with defense contractors on these requirements daily, and they’ll bring that perspective to the questions contractors are asking right now.

This is a live, interactive session. Bring your questions and they’ll be taken as the conversation goes.

What you’ll take away:

• What’s paused and what isn’t. Phase 2 third-party assessments are on hold. Phase 1 self-assessments, SPRS scoring, DFARS 252.204-7012, and NIST SP 800-171 remain in force.
• What the review could change. A clear read on the CMMC Reform Task Force’s 60-day review and what its mid-September findings could mean for the program’s next phase.
• What to do in the meantime. Steps contractors can take now to strengthen their compliance posture while the review is underway.
• Direct access to practitioners. Live answers to contractor-specific questions from two professionals who work with defense contractors on CMMC compliance daily.

Panelists

David Brosi

Practice Director
360 Advanced

Doug Stonier

Dir. of Compliance
Steel Patriot Partners

Daniel Lipovsk

Practice Manager
360 Advanced