A new bill introduced in the House and Senate is looking to designate a principal quantum advisor to the secretary of Defense to “supercharge” the Pentagon’s approach to quantum technology.
Introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act would task the new quantum lead with developing a strategic roadmap for leveraging the technology within the Defense Department (DoD) in the near term.
“U.S. advancement of quantum technology is critical for our nation to compete on the global stage, as Communist China has made clear their goal to lead the world in this industry by 2049,” Sen. Blackburn said in an April 10 press release. “This legislation helps ensure the Department of Defense maximizes its developmental resources.”
Currently, there are a number of tremendous individual efforts in quantum across the DoD, such as the quantum computing work being done by Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y, but these efforts lack a unified effort and focus on transitioning quantum-enhanced capabilities to the warfighter on a relevant timeline, according to the lawmakers.
This Defense Quantum Acceleration Act would establish a framework for the DoD to optimize its approach to the development and transitioning of quantum technology by “empowering a principal quantum advisor to the secretary of defense to develop a strategic quantum roadmap,” the bill reads.
The new quantum lead also would be tasked with providing an independent assessment of current DoD quantum budgets to Congress.
The bill would also authorize a defense quantum technology testbed within the Defense Innovation Unit to successfully execute the transition of near-term quantum capabilities using the $55 million of funding it received for this purpose this fiscal year.
“I am proud to lead this critical legislation to ensure the United States maintains a quantum technological advantage over our adversaries, including Communist China,” said Rep. Stefanik.
“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,” she said. “This bill will ensure the Department of Defense, led by the incredible work at Rome Labs, is able to outpace our adversaries and rapidly develop and transition quantum technologies to our service members.”
