3 Steps to DoD 8140 Readiness
All civilians and military service members who work with DoD systems and data must be DoD 8140 qualified by February 15, 2026.
Will your organization be ready?
By Nat Emery
CEO and Founder of LearnSpectrum
DoD 8140 aims to ensure that by February 15, 2026, personnel who work with DoD systems and data – from information assurance technicians to cybersecurity service providers – possess the necessary skills and knowledge to protect those systems and data.
Here are 3 steps to ensure your organization’s readiness.
Step 1: Identify impacted employees and the status of their DoD 8140 certifications
Start by identifying which of the stated roles – IA Technical, IA Management, IA System Architecture and Engineering, and Cyber Security Service Provider – exist within your organization.
Then list all employees that fall into each role.
Finally, determine for every employee if they hold each of the specified DoD 8140 certifications and that certifications are current.
Be sure to assess all new hires in these roles as well.
Step 2: Train and certify impacted employees
First, group impacted employees by required certifications – A+ CE, CASP, CASP CE, etc. – to know how many employees need each.
Next, identify training providers for each certification. Allow time for research, especially if your organization requires multiple quotes.
Then, enroll employees accordingly. Be sure training dates are well in advance of the February 15, 2026 deadline.
To streamline the process, consider training partner(s) that can deliver training and certification for as many of the DoD 8140 competencies as possible.
To streamline the process, consider a training partner that can support most if not all the 21 competencies.
- A+ CE
- CASP
- CASP CE
- CCISO
- CCNA-Security
- CCNP
- CEH
- CFR
- CGRC
- CHFI
- CISA
- CISM
- CISSP (or Associate)
- CISSP-ISSAP
- CISSP-ISSEP
- Cloud+
- CND
- CSSLP
- CySA+
- Network+ CE
- Security+ CE
Step 3: Maintain accurate DOD 8140 compliance reporting
You’ve identified impacted employees. You’ve trained and certified them. But can you prove it?
You want to ensure you have accurate reporting on compliance with DoD 8140. So, maintain records of certifications, training hours, and competency assessments.
You’ll also want to regularly review progress and address any gaps promptly, like staying on top of recertification dates.
Consider developing a DoD 8140 readiness dashboard reflecting overall counts and progress with the ability to drill down into specific roles, certifications, and employees.
Time or resource constrained? Want support with any or all of these steps?
LearnSpectrum can help.
Our DoD 8140 Adoption and Ongoing Compliance solution
What do we propose? A solution that ensures impacted employees are and remain certified. It includes three components. Choose one or all three.
Employee Talent Assessment & Alignment
We work with you to evaluate your staff and identify impacted employees and the specific DoD 8140 certifications they require.
We document which employees already have certifications and which ones need them.
Employee Certification Services
For employees that need certification(s), we support the process from end to end.
We can coordinate training and certification for all 21 competencies, drawing from over 400 learning partners. We can also provide multiple quotes for each one.
We manage course sourcing, enrollment, and invoicing. We also extend preferred pricing and discounts, where available. In addition, we deliver recertification requirements to employees with ample time to comply.
Certification Reporting
We capture and maintain certifications and recertifications.
You have current, reliable DoD 8140 certification data at your fingertips via a dashboard, or you can upload the data into your enterprise data management solution.
If you sign up by the end of 1Q 2025,
we will provide the Employee Talent Assessment & Alignment, for FREE.
Why is LearnSpectrum laser focused on DoD Training Requirements?
We specialize in government contractors
LearnSpectrum doesn’t dabble in everything; we specialize in government contractors’ learning and development. This focus means we understand the unique challenges faced by organizations like yours.
It’s why several of the top government contractors are clients.
We have comprehensive training coverage
DoD 8140 is a complex framework.
LearnSpectrum can draw from our network of over 400 learning partners to provide the necessary training requirements for all 21 certifications.
If you sign up by the end of 1Q 2025, we will provide the Employee Talent Assessment & Alignment, for FREE.
You will have a list of impacted employees, the DoD 8140 certifications they require, and if they already have any, at no cost.
In the process, you’ll get to know LearnSpectrum.
