CS5 West 2026: The Biggest CMMC Warnings Contractors Need to Hear - EP #60

In this episode of the CMMC Compliance Guide Podcast, Brooke breaks down the biggest takeaways from CS5 West 2026, one of the largest conferences in the CMMC ecosystem.

The biggest message from the conference was clear: CMMC is no longer theoretical. Assessments are happening now, companies are already getting certified, and many contractors are running out of time to prepare before Phase 2 requirements begin appearing on contracts.

We discuss what assessors are seeing during mock and certification assessments, why documentation continues to be one of the biggest failure points, and why scoping mistakes are still creating major problems for manufacturers and defense contractors.

We also cover:
- Why small contractors are struggling with implementation
- How primes are pressuring subcontractors to get certified early
- Why enclave strategies are often misunderstood
- The ongoing debate around G-code and CUI
- Why continuous compliance matters after certification
- The importance of mock assessments
- How False Claims Act risk ties into annual affirmations

If you are a defense contractor trying to understand where CMMC enforcement is heading and what the industry is seeing right now, this episode gives you a practical, real-world update from inside the ecosystem.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:21 Why CS5 West Matters
01:16 CMMC Is No Longer Theoretical
04:10 Companies Are Running Out of Time
04:24 Phase 2 Deadlines and Contract Pressure
08:50 Why Scope Keeps Coming Up
09:06 Enclave Myths and Scope Mistakes
11:58 Why CMMC Is a Business Process Change
13:48 Continuous Compliance and Ongoing Monitoring
15:04 Why Mock Assessments Are Critical
15:10 Documentation Problems Slowing Assessments
20:11 The G-Code and CUI Debate
22:49 False Claims Act and Annual Affirmations
25:13 Biggest Takeaways From CS5 West
27:47 Outro

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