Source Says New Legislation to Accelerate DoD’s Quantum Efforts ‘to The Next Level’

Insider Brief

• An Axios source said legislation will be unveiled that will accelerate quantum technology adoption in the US Department of Defense.
• According to the source, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) is preparing to unveil the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act.
• The proposed legislation is said to contain a comprehensive strategy for integrating quantum information science technology across DoD operations.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) is preparing to unveil the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act, Axios is reporting. According to the media site, an industry source said that, under the proposed legislation, the Department of Defense would develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for integrating quantum information science technology across its operations.

This could be related to a recent Breaking Defense op-ed that reported Rep. Elise Stefanik was creating legislation to appoint a Principal Quantum Adviser for the Department of Defense. Ideally, the position would consolidate quantum research efforts across the military, ensuring more cohesive progress and strategic alignment with national security objectives.

Axios also reported that the language of the bill is closely associated with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which pushes DoD to go beyond the study of quantum, but, instead shifts focuses on near-term application.

The source told Axios that the bill would include actions to “take this focus to the next level.”

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, also released this week showed at least 18 references to quantum.

Stefanik has been a champion of quantum technologies and especially a champion of the tech in her home state of New York. In 2022, she announced $25 million to manufacture and test photonic quantum computing technology at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome.