Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along with the MEDC, announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded the Michigan Defense Center (MDC) a $2.4 million grant to assist Michigan defense suppliers with cybersecurity efforts. The MDC plans to use the funds to enhance their Michigan Defense Cybersmart program, which will assist small and medium-sized companies that do business with the DoD by helping those businesses achieve federal cybersecurity compliance.
“Michigan is a key contributor to the national defense Industrial base with approximately 4,000 defense suppliers generating more than $30 billion of total economic activity annually in the state,” said Executive Director of the MDC and the MEDC Senior Strategic Advisor, Vicki Selva. “While DoD’s cybersecurity requirements are needed for national security, many smaller companies don’t have the time, money, and staff to become cyber-compliant, thereby threatening our supply chain. The Michigan Defense Cybersmart program is a business solution for these small- and medium-sized defense companies that provide standardization, accountability, and cost-effectiveness throughout the process for achieving cyber maturity. Read more here.