Quantum Computing Sections in the FY 2025 NDAA

Although quantum computing is a highly specialized field of technological innovation, I believe we are going to hear a great deal about it over the next 5 years. To wit, if the news out of Google last fall is to be believed, then those working on quantum technology are now on the cusp of developing the world’s first fully operational quantum computer.

The impact of Quantum Information Science (QIS) on information technology is going to be immeasurable. Think artificial intelligence is formidably fast today? Just wait until it can use a quantum system to compute responses 100x or even 1000x faster. The impact on cybersecurity will also be decisive, which is why there are already efforts to quantum-proof encryption. Once quantum becomes a reality, and readily accessible via hyperscale cloud providers, everything will change. Tools more powerful than humanity has ever imagined will become a reality.

It is with this near-term future in mind that the Congress decided to retain two sections pertaining to quantum computing that appeared in the draft final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. The first of these is Section 231. It calls for the Department of Defense to create a Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). According to the section, the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is responsible for establishing the initiative with the intent “to rapidly expand and support efforts to evaluate concepts, development plans, and prototypes, components, and subsystems needed to develop a utility-scale quantum computing capability.”

The QBI will also pursue the following:

• Investigate “commercial efforts to design and build utility-scale quantum computers, including through collaboration with key partners in the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Strategic Capital, the Defense Innovation Unit, and such other partners and organizations of the Department of Defense as the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency deems appropriate.”
• DARPA will work with the Office of Strategic Capital to establish regular interactions with the venture capital and finance community to help accelerate commercial efforts to develop concepts, plans, prototypes, components, and subsystems needed to develop viable utility-scale quantum computers.
• DARPA will also work with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy to connect key performers in fault-tolerant utility-scale quantum computing with support for industrial bases analysis, manufacturing support, and other analysis support to help foster and grow the broader industrial base supporting fault-tolerant utility-scale quantum computing.
• DARPA will work with the military departments and other components of the DOD to refine use cases for militarily relevant applications of utility-scale quantum computers.

Section 234 is the second that deals with QIS. It calls for the DOD to develop a strategic plan for the development and use of QIS within the department. The new strategic plan shall:

• Identify QIS technologies that have the potential to solve operational challenges faced by the DOD.
• Plan to transition QIS technologies from the research, development, and prototyping phases into operational use within the DOD.

Plan for the continuous evaluation, development, and implementation of QIS technology solutions within the DOD.
It goes without saying that if the DOD is devoting more funding and attention to QIS, you can bet the Intelligence Community is doing so as well. QIS activities in the civilian sector of government are currently relegated to agencies with science missions, such as the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, but I’d expect that to change in the next several years as well.