At a Time When Supply Chain Security Has Proven Imperative, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is Approved for Second Round of Department of Defense Funding

Columbia, S.C. – For the second time, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) has been awarded Department of Defense (DOD) funding to help support and protect companies contracted by DOD from cybersecurity criminals.

Using the $775,829 grant, DEW, in partnership with the SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the SC Department of Commerce (Commerce), will continue implementation of the South Carolina Cyber Assistance Program (SCCAP). SCCAP’s primary goal is to educate South Carolina’s defense manufacturing community about cybersecurity threats and provide technical assistance that puts them on a path to compliance with current DOD cybersecurity standards. Recent security threats have shown that a breach in the country’s supply chain can be expensive, inconvenient, disruptive, and even catastrophic. The efficiencies of technology have brought with them vulnerabilities that must be guarded and secured.

Moreover, according to a study released by the South Carolina Military Base Task Force and the University of South Carolina, the annual economic impact of the military community on South Carolina is $24.1 billion. This translates to 181,847 jobs that are supported directly or indirectly by the military community, along with $9.9 billion in labor income for South Carolinians. Much of this impact trickles through defense contractors hired by DOD. Currently, 752 defense firms in the state are fulfilling $2.1 billion in contracts. The Palmetto State is home to eight major military installations and numerous other facilities throughout the state supporting 62,520 DOD personnel, of all branches of service, with $2.6 billion in payroll.

This grant will continue to boost the state’s security priorities by supporting defense manufacturers in South Carolina that produce parts and products critical to military operations. South Carolina manufacturers with a current DOD contract are invited to attend the SC Cybersecurity Summit on September 1, 2021 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The day-long event provides companies the opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s top cybersecurity experts and learn how to obtain the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). For more information, including registration, visit the Commerce’s SC Cybersecurity Summit event web page.