GOP proposes bill to speed up DOD adoption of Quantum Info Science

On Wednesday, Republicans will introduce a bill in the Senate and House of Representatives that would expedite the Department of Defense’s use of quantum information science.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) will introduce the “Defense Quantum Acceleration Act.”

The bill would have the Secretary of Defense “explore and identify QIS technologies that have demonstrated value in advancing the priorities and missions of the Department; and may be applied to address operational problems; develop plans to transition such QIS technologies from the research and development phase to operational use within the Department, including within each of the Armed Forces; and carry out such transition plans,” it states.

“Information that’s encrypted on the quantum level can’t be secretly intercepted because attempting to measure a quantum property changes it,” Defense One explains, adding, “China has outpaced the Defense Department in terms of investment in quantum technology, dedicating $15 billion over the next five years—or $3 billion a year—as opposed to the $700 million yearly Defense Department investment.”

“According to NAS (National Academy of Sciences), ‘quantum computers are the only known model for computing that could offer exponential speedup over today’s computers,’” the Congressional Research Service noted. NAS also asserted that “the development, standardization, and deployment of post-quantum cryptography is critical for minimizing the chance of a potential security and privacy disaster.”

“Quantum’s impact on our national security will be considerable, and we must take immediate steps to ensure the United States is the first nation to reach quantum advantage. This bill will ensure the Department of Defense, led by the incredible work at [The U.S. Air Force Rome Laboratory in New York] is able to outpace our adversaries and rapidly develop and transition quantum technologies to our service members,” Stefanik stated.

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Chris Padilla, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at IBM, said the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act “helps ensure the Department of Defense embraces this revolutionary technology. For national defense and economic security reasons, the United States must maintain a leadership position in quantum computing, and this legislation supports that effort. IBM encourages Congress to pass it and the administration to begin deploying quantum-centric supercomputing.”