The Department of War (DoW) has announced the implementation of the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), a next-generation framework designed to defend U.S. systems and missions against evolving cyber threats. The CSRMC represents a decisive shift from static compliance checklists to a model that emphasizes automation, continuous monitoring, and operational survivability, ensuring cyber defense at the speed of modern warfare.
Why the CSRMC Was Needed
For years, defense systems operated under the Risk Management Framework (RMF), which relied heavily on periodic assessments and manual reporting. While useful for documenting controls, the approach failed to keep pace with the speed of cyber threats. Adversaries could exploit vulnerabilities long before systems were reassessed, creating gaps in survivability.
The CSRMC addresses these shortcomings by embedding cybersecurity into every phase of the system lifecycle and creating a process that is faster, more responsive, and more aligned to operational realities. By transitioning from “snapshot in time” audits to dynamic, data-driven oversight, the construct ensures commanders have an accurate picture of cyber risk in real time.
The Five Phases of the CSRMC
The construct follows a five-phase lifecycle that aligns cybersecurity directly with system development and operations:
- Phase 1: Design (Prepare, Categorize, Select)
Cybersecurity and survivability requirements are identified at the earliest stages, ensuring that systems are built with defense in mind. - Phase 2: Build (Implement)
Teams integrate critical controls, automation, and DevSecOps practices during system development to reduce vulnerabilities before testing. - Phase 3: Test (Assess)
Systems undergo rigorous security evaluations, including penetration testing for high-risk environments, to validate defenses. - Phase 4: Onboard (Authorize)
Systems are integrated into the DoDIN (Department of Defense Information Network) and submitted for evaluation, with continuous monitoring capabilities prepared for operational deployment. - Phase 5: Operations (Monitor)
Continuous monitoring (CONMON) begins, feeding live telemetry into automated dashboards that enable real-time risk assessments. High-risk activity can be escalated immediately, with CSSP watch officers empowered to make decisions such as system isolation or disconnection.
The Ten Strategic Tenets
At its foundation, the CSRMC is built on ten interlocking principles:
- Automation – Streamlining risk management through automated processes, reducing human error, and enabling faster decision-making.
- Critical Controls – Enforcing baseline cybersecurity measures across all systems to safeguard mission-critical assets.
- Continuous Monitoring and ATO – Real-time risk visibility with continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO).
- DevSecOps – Integrating security into development and operations pipelines for safer, faster delivery of capabilities.
- Cyber Survivability – Ensuring systems can withstand, recover from, and continue operating during cyber disruptions.
- Training – Strengthening practitioner expertise with role-based programs for consistent application of the framework.
- Enterprise Services & Inheritance – Sharing proven controls and inherited policies to reduce duplication and compliance overhead.
- Operationalization – Embedding cyber defense directly into day-to-day mission operations.
- Reciprocity – Accepting validated assessments across organizations to accelerate deployment and reduce redundant testing.
- Cybersecurity Assessments – Conducting continuous, threat-informed evaluations that align directly to mission risk.
Delivering Cyber Defense at Operational Speed
By coupling automation with continuous monitoring, the CSRMC gives warfighters and mission owners the confidence that systems are defended in real time. It also provides commanders with accurate and timely insight into cyber risk, allowing them to make informed decisions that directly impact mission assurance.
As Katie Arrington, performing the duties of the DoW CIO, stated:
“With automation, continuous monitoring, and resilience at its core, the CSRMC empowers the Department to defend against today’s adversaries while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.”
By institutionalizing this construct, the DoW is reinforcing survivability across every domain, air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace, and ensuring that cybersecurity is no longer a separate consideration, but a built-in component of operational readiness.
How Can Netizen Help?
Founded in 2013, Netizen is an award-winning technology firm that develops and leverages cutting-edge solutions to create a more secure, integrated, and automated digital environment for government, defense, and commercial clients worldwide. Our innovative solutions transform complex cybersecurity and technology challenges into strategic advantages by delivering mission-critical capabilities that safeguard and optimize clients’ digital infrastructure. One example of this is our popular “CISO-as-a-Service” offering that enables organizations of any size to access executive level cybersecurity expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring internally.
Netizen also operates a state-of-the-art 24x7x365 Security Operations Center (SOC) that delivers comprehensive cybersecurity monitoring solutions for defense, government, and commercial clients. Our service portfolio includes cybersecurity assessments and advisory, hosted SIEM and EDR/XDR solutions, software assurance, penetration testing, cybersecurity engineering, and compliance audit support. We specialize in serving organizations that operate within some of the world’s most highly sensitive and tightly regulated environments where unwavering security, strict compliance, technical excellence, and operational maturity are non-negotiable requirements. Our proven track record in these domains positions us as the premier trusted partner for organizations where technology reliability and security cannot be compromised.
Netizen holds ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 20000-1, and CMMI Level III SVC registrations demonstrating the maturity of our operations. We are a proud Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) certified by U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that has been named multiple times to the Inc. 5000 and Vet 100 lists of the most successful and fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Netizen has also been named a national “Best Workplace” by Inc. Magazine, a multiple awardee of the U.S. Department of Labor HIRE Vets Platinum Medallion for veteran hiring and retention, the Lehigh Valley Business of the Year and Veteran-Owned Business of the Year, and the recipient of dozens of other awards and accolades for innovation, community support, working environment, and growth.
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