Simon Hartley

The future of defense is being rewritten - and autonomy is leading the charge. Thrilled to release NightDragon's latest market report analyzing the Defense Autonomy Market from Hannah Huffman and Morgan Kyauk. The report analyzes the Autonomy sector and why it represents a fundamental shift in how we secure our world for tomorrow. For decades, defense strategy has revolved around five domains: land, sea, air, space, and cyber. But today, autonomous systems are emerging as a powerful sixth domain — reshaping how missions are executed and how innovation happens. It’s not just theory anymore: organizations like the U.S. Coast Guard are already standing up dedicated offices for robotics, counter-UAS and autonomous systems, recognizing autonomy as a true force multiplier that makes operations faster, smarter, and more adaptive than ever. And it’s not just about the autonomous platforms themselves. Innovation is accelerating across the entire ecosystem — from edge computing and data interoperability to sensor networks and resilient command-and-control. Each of these building blocks opens new doors for companies ready to lead in this next frontier. NightDragon has been following this market closely, investing in 4+ companies already leveraging autonomy for different cyber or security outcomes: Epirus, HawkEye360, Horizon3.ai, and Saronic Technologies. But we also know the horizon of opportunity stretches much wider. As conflicts become more dispersed, technology-driven, and nonlinear, autonomy will define the next era of defense innovation. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gS2QFHVu Andy Lowery John Serafini Snehal Antani Dino Mavrookas

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Breaking Updates from the August CyberAB Town Hall Colleagues, this month’s CyberAB Town Hall delivered significant updates that will shape the path ahead for CMMC adoption across the Defense Industrial Base. A few highlights stood out: 🔹 Rulemaking Progress: The long-awaited Title 48 rule is under OMB review. While October 1, 2025 has circulated as a possible “go-live” date, DoD clarified that this was a holdover from CMMC 1.0 rulemaking. The official date is still pending, but all indications point to implementation before year’s end. 🔹 Certification Growth: To date, 270 Level 2 certifications have been issued. Nine conditional certifications are in place, and 91 assessments remain in progress. The ecosystem continues to grow: 79 Authorized C3PAOs (with #80 on the horizon) 500+ Certified Assessors (CCA) 351 RPOs supporting organizations with readiness 🔹 False Claims Act Reminder: DOJ announced a $1.75M settlement with AeroTurbine, underscoring the risks of non-compliance with NIST 800-171. The message was clear: self-attestation without implementation is a liability. 🔹 Tier 3 Vetting Changes: All personnel associated with the CMMC ecosystem will now be enrolled in continuous vetting under Trusted Workforce 2.0. Clearance verification letters are no longer accepted—packages must include OF306, Tier 3 nomination, and a resume. 🔹 C3PAO Advisory Council: A new 11-member body was introduced to strengthen assessor consistency, reduce costs for SMBs, and provide authoritative feedback on assessment guidance. 🔹 Events & Engagements: CS5 (October, National Harbor) will feature new contractor roundtables and vertical breakouts for architecture, construction, aerospace, and defense. Notably, Katie Arrington and Stacey Bostjanik are confirmed keynote speakers. Q&A Spotlight The Town Hall wrapped with a robust Q&A session. A few themes worth noting: MSP Certifications: An MSP holding a CMMC Level 2 certification can present this as part of a client’s body of evidence during their own assessment. Beyond DoD: Questions surfaced on whether non-DoD agencies will require CMMC. While no official mandates yet, the proposed FAR CUI rule suggests NIST 800-171 may become the unifying baseline across federal agencies. Guidance Consistency: The new C3PAO Advisory Council will review ambiguous scenarios (e.g., stalled assessments, shared responsibility matrices) and provide recommended guidance to improve consistency in application. Transparency in Vetting: For those in Tier 3 adjudication, timelines remain ~6 months on average, but continuous vetting enrollment will now be mandatory moving forward. ✅ Takeaway: The CMMC program is moving from “anticipated” to “operational.” Ecosystem numbers are climbing, rulemaking is on track, and oversight is tightening. Contractors—large and small—must be ready to demonstrate real compliance, not just paper compliance.

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A must-read from Jay Meil. AI at mission scale demands modularity, orchestration and governance, not black-box models. SAIC’s Composable Intelligence architecture and AI Model Control Plane are redefining how AI is deployed in high-stakes environments.

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Love Laks Prabhala talking about ATO Modernization as part of the American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) Cybersecurity COI and ISC2 Northern Virginia Chapter. ▶️ Move away from documentation to evidence based state ▶️ Focus on the efficacy of the controls ▶️ Look at FR20x as a model to move towards to Continuous Monitoring

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To maintain compliance and protect #nationalsecurity, the Department of Defense is issuing vendor requirements for software applications. As part of the broader DOD #acquisition strategy, this initiative is designed to streamline the authority to operate process for commercial software tools. The goal is to enable public-private partnerships to drive #innovation and mission success more quickly and effectively. As acquisition requirements continue to evolve, private sector collaboration will be essential to the DOD’s progress toward more efficient, modernized services. As an approved DOD contractor and a leading global technology distributor and aggregator, Ingram Micro understands the government’s priority to partner with companies that prioritize security, ethical operations, compliance, and innovative technology solutions to drive mission success. https://lnkd.in/eG93M9An

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Appreciate #OrangeSlicesAI for the chance to share some thoughts. A lot of ideas that have been discussed for years are being reconsidered by the agencies we serve. The drive for improved efficiency is real, but with it comes the need for operational analytics to support decision-makers. In the interview below, I talk about operational analytics, defensibility, and where AI is heading. We are moving beyond writing and coding into decision support. At that point, domain expertise in data, policy, and systems matters even more. https://lnkd.in/eHZYSgdf

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This is a great example of how collaboration drives real impact. SAIC’s partnership with UMass Lowell is helping strengthen the defense industrial base while building a strong cyber workforce for the future.

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