On 22 June 2026, the White House issued two Executive Orders aimed at quantum technology, with multiple targets to be reached by the end of 2030. Individually, each is important. Together, they represent a significant example of an ongoing shift in tone of US policy (and indeed the policy in other major jurisdictions) toward quantum technology. Namely, it is no longer seen as a long-term prospect, but rather a near-term strategic priority.
Executive Orders 14412-14413
Executive Order 14412 (“Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks”)1 focuses on cybersecurity. It accelerates the migration of federal systems to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), requiring high-value government systems to adopt quantum-resistant key establishment mechanisms by the end of 2030 and quantum-resistant digital signatures by the end of 2031. The underlying concern is the increasingly familiar ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ scenario, in which encrypted data is captured today with the intention of decrypting it once sufficiently powerful quantum computers become available.
As an aside here, the US is not alone in these concerns, as just in the last month similar policy movements have been seen in Europe. France's cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, has announced that from 2027 it will stop certifying new security products that do not implement PQC2, creating a strong incentive for vendors to adopt quantum-safe encryption. Meanwhile, the UK has recently announced a £10 million National Quantum Standards Network aimed at strengthening quantum standards development and international cooperation3, goals that are relevant to PQC adoption. Taken together, these actions reflect a broad desire to move toward a world that is ready for advanced quantum technology. Which of course carries at least the implicit suggestion that governments believe that world is moving closer to this already.
The second order, Executive Order 14413 (“Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation”)4, addresses the opportunity side of the equation. Its most eye-catching objective is the development of a research-grade quantum computer intended to support scientific applications that are difficult or impractical for classical systems. To achieve this, the order establishes the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science (QC-ADDS) programme, promotes public-private partnerships, supports domestic supply chains, and expands workforce initiatives. There is also a prioritisation of advanced quantum sensors, with the Order directing the relevant defence department leadership to identify three quantum sensor technologies that can be ready for use by 2028.
In a sense then, the two orders are pursuing complementary objectives, but from two different directions. The first seeks to protect the United States from the risks posed by future quantum computers through a rapid transition to PQC. The second seeks to ensure that the United States is among the countries building those future quantum computers in the first place.
What will the impact be?
Policymakers have spent years discussing both the promise of quantum computing and the threat it poses to existing cryptography. What is interesting about these Executive Orders is that both challenges are being addressed simultaneously, and with pressing deadlines. They are effectively racing to develop capabilities that could transform scientific discovery, while also racing to replace the encryption that those capabilities could eventually undermine.
Of course, the ambition of the timelines that are being set here should not be overlooked (particularly considering that Executive Orders are themselves not automatically backed with new funding commitments). A quantum computer capable of enabling new scientific discovery by 2028, followed by major cybersecurity migration milestones in 2030 and 2031, represents a compressed schedule when compared with many previous forecasts for the field.
However, what each Order aims to do is to focus on directing existing resources, creating accountability, establishing deadlines, and signalling priorities, so as to shape the behaviour of all the interested parties in the quantum space (from government agencies and industry bodies, to researchers and investors). From this viewpoint, it is hard not to draw a comparison to previous (successful) technology moonshots, in which a clear objective has been set, public and private effort has been aligned behind it, and the target itself has been used to accelerate progress.
And indeed, early signs of shifts that have resulted from these Executive Orders can already be pointed to. Within days of these Executive Orders, the Office of Management and Budget issued implementation guidance for federal agencies. At the same time, a recent Microsoft announcement regarding an acceleration of their quantum-safe timeline directly cited both the US and France’s policy shifts discussed above5, whilst the launch of the Quantum Manufacturing Engineering Center (QMEC) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in an agreement with SRI International, was also noted as helping to advance the goals of Executive Order 144136.
A broader signal
Putting aside the above questions, perhaps the most interesting aspect of these Executive Orders is what they reveal about the current state of quantum technology. The conversation is no longer confined to laboratory demonstrations and future possibilities. It now encompasses procurement policy, cybersecurity planning, workforce development, standards, supply chains and industrial competitiveness. In other words, quantum is beginning its transition from an emerging technology to critical infrastructure.
Whether the ambitious targets set out in these two Executive Orders are ultimately achieved remains to be seen, but the message is clear. For the US at least, realising the long-touted benefits that quantum technology promises is not a challenge for the 2030s. It’s one for the here and now.
Further reading:
[2] France to stop certifying products without quantum-safe encryption
[5] Accelerating the quantum-safe timeline
[6] NIST Launches Center to Drive the Manufacture of Quantum Technologies
%201.jpeg?width=100&height=100&name=Jack-edit%20(002)%201.jpeg)
Jack is a patent attorney working in the Bristol office as part of the engineering and ICT team. Jack graduated from the University of Warwick with a first class Integrated Masters degree in Physics (MPhys). His final year project focused on studying the epitaxial growth and characterisation of silicon-based semiconductor materials fabricated using Chemical Vapour Deposition. During his time at Warwick, he also completed a summer research project in which he developed Python simulations of the thermodynamic properties of ideal spin-lattice materials for use in the ongoing materials research at the Universities of Warwick and Oxford.
Email: jack.davies@mewburn.com
.png)
