Pentagon Overhauls Cybersecurity with Continuous Automated Risk Management

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a major evolution in its cybersecurity approach, replacing its decades-old Risk Management Framework with the new Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC). The shift, revealed in late 2025, moves Pentagon security from periodic assessments to continuous, automated monitoring that better matches real-world threats and modern development practices.

The transformation addresses longstanding criticisms that static security checklists and infrequent system evaluations leave defense networks vulnerable in a landscape where threats evolve daily. As Dave McKeown, Acting Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity at the DoD explains, "Static checklists just don't work in a world where cutting-edge offense and cutting-edge defense work at machine speed."

How CSRMC Transforms Defense Cybersecurity

The CSRMC fundamentally reimagines risk management as a dynamic, continuous process deeply integrated into development and operations. It replaces compliance-driven milestones with ongoing evaluation through automation and constant monitoring.

The framework is organized around a five-phase lifecycle aligned with system development:

• Design: Security planning and risk tolerance embedded from the start
• Build: Secure implementation and integration of controls
• Test: Stress tests and validation before deployment
• Onboard: Automated continuous monitoring begins as systems go live
• Operations: Real-time monitoring, dashboards, and alerting for ongoing assurance

This ensures risk is managed continuously throughout a system's existence rather than at isolated checkpoints. This approach aligns with modern cyber risk management frameworks that prioritize operational resilience over checklist compliance.

"Another attractive feature of the CSRMC is its deployment in the earliest phases of the developmental lifecycle," notes Col. Cedric Leighton, CNN Military Analyst and retired U.S. Air Force officer. "Baking security into the design phase is something that has been historically neglected, much to the regret of cyber professionals who are left to clean up the mess after a data breach."

The framework is built on ten strategic tenets including:

• Automation for efficiency
• Continuous authority to operate (cATO)
• DevSecOps integration
• Cyber survivability in contested environments
• Enterprise services
• Operationalization of risk data for mission assurance

This represents a philosophical shift from compliance for compliance's sake toward mission-aligned, data-driven, and automated risk governance.

Enhanced Implementation Timeline and Phased Approach

The DoD has established a three-year transition plan for CSRMC implementation across its systems:

• Phase 1 (Year 1): Pilot programs with select mission-critical systems and development of automation capabilities
• Phase 2 (Year 2): Expanded implementation across primary defense information systems with established metrics and governance
• Phase 3 (Year 3): Full-scale adoption with comprehensive integration into acquisition and operational processes

This phased approach allows for feedback loops and capability refinement before full-scale deployment, addressing potential implementation challenges proactively.

Impact on Defense Ecosystem and Contractors

The CSRMC's initial scope covers the DoD ecosystem—systems connected to the DoD Information Network and other mission-critical infrastructure. While it doesn't directly replace other programs like Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), its operational emphasis will likely influence expectations for defense contractors.

Companies in the defense supply chain may soon need to provide continuous monitoring evidence, automated telemetry, and integration with DoD security dashboards. This creates an intersection between government risk management requirements and private sector implementation capabilities.

"Let's face it, automated, continuous responses to automated and continuously propagating cyberattacks are absolutely essential in today's AI-driven cyber threat landscape," Col. Leighton emphasized. "If we are to have any possibility of successfully defending our cyber infrastructure, we need constructs like the CSRMC."

Defense contractors should begin evaluating how their existing security operations can adapt to provide continuous security monitoring capabilities that integrate with DoD systems, as this will likely become a competitive differentiator in future contract awards.

Challenges for Implementation

The transition to CSRMC presents significant challenges for cybersecurity teams:

Cultural and Organizational Change

CSRMC isn't just a new checklist—it's a cultural shift requiring organizations to abandon siloed compliance practices and adopt risk management as a lived, operational discipline. This demands new workflows, responsibilities, and mindsets across security teams.

Tooling and Automation Gaps

Successful implementation requires tools that automate evidence collection, provide real-time risk posture dashboards, integrate with DevSecOps pipelines, and support continuous authorization workflows. Many existing governance, risk, and compliance platforms aren't designed for this level of continuous, automated assurance—creating potential capability gaps.

According to a recent Gartner analysis, only 35% of enterprise security tools currently support the level of automation required for continuous authorization models, highlighting the technology gap that must be addressed.

Skills and Workforce Readiness

The new framework demands cybersecurity professionals skilled in automation, real-time threat intelligence, telemetry interpretation, and secure development practices. This creates both a challenge and opportunity for workforce development across the defense sector.

Technical Integration Complexity

Interconnecting legacy systems with modern monitoring tools presents substantial technical hurdles. The DoD's diverse technology landscape—spanning decades of IT investments—requires specialized integration approaches to enable continuous monitoring without disrupting operations or creating security blind spots.

Opportunities Beyond the Pentagon

While designed for defense systems, CSRMC signals broader industry trends that will likely influence commercial cybersecurity:

The continuous authority to operate (cATO) model can improve resilience against fast-moving threats like zero-day vulnerabilities and supply-chain compromises. By integrating security throughout development and operations, organizations can reduce cyber risk through automated detection and response capabilities while shortening release cycles.

Real-time dashboards enable organizations to visualize risk continuously rather than after periodic assessments, enabling proactive mitigation long before compliance reports are due.

"The CSRMC represents a shift in the cybersecurity mindset," Col. Leighton noted. "It recognizes the dynamism of today's threats—an essential first step in securing our most critical as well as our most vulnerable networks."

Industry Vertical Applications

Beyond government applications, the CSRMC principles have particular relevance for:

• Healthcare organizations handling protected health information
• Financial institutions managing transaction systems
• Critical infrastructure operators responsible for essential services
• Technology companies developing connected products and services

Each of these sectors faces similar challenges of rapid threat evolution and the need for continuous rather than periodic security assurance.

How Organizations Can Prepare

Organizations can begin adopting CSRMC principles by:

• Examining current security practices for opportunities to automate assessment and monitoring
• Integrating security earlier in development processes
• Building real-time visibility into security posture through dashboards and analytics
• Developing metrics that measure security as an operational capability rather than a compliance status

For cybersecurity leaders accustomed to traditional frameworks like NIST, this shift might feel like trading certainty for complexity. However, the principles align with how threats actually operate—continuously and adaptively rather than on assessment schedules.

"I hope colleges and universities, as well as high schools, are paying attention to how DoD is implementing the CSRMC," added Col. Leighton. "The future is not static; it is instead a dynamic, rapidly evolving cyber battle space. Any cybersecurity curriculum that fails to incorporate a dynamic threat environment is basically useless in today's world."

As the threat landscape continues to evolve at machine speed, CSRMC's principles of continuous monitoring, automation, and operational integration may soon become the standard for how cybersecurity risk is managed across all sectors—making this Pentagon initiative a preview of cybersecurity's future.