Twin Executive Orders Seek to Spur Quantum Leap in Technology and Cybersecurity

Author:

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. On June 22, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” (Quantum Security EO) and “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation” (Quantum Innovation EO), marking the most significant federal action on quantum technology since the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act of 2022, which directed agencies to harden their information systems against quantum-enabled hacking. The orders seek to speed the development of quantum computers, which are advanced processors that can calculate multiple possibilities simultaneously and thus solve problems exponentially faster than traditional computers. At the same time, the orders look to protect against the danger that quantum technology can “break” traditional encryption by easily decoding it. Of particular note for government contractors, the Quantum Security EO directs agencies to update federal acquisition regulations to require contractors by 2031 to adopt information processing standards that resist quantum-enabled codebreaking.
Quantum Security EO: Post-Quantum Cryptography
The speed and power of quantum computers may soon render traditional cryptography obsolete. To prepare for what it terms “post-quantum cryptography” (PQC), the Quantum Security EO directs agencies to “take steps to strengthen cryptographic protections for the Nation’s sensitive data, critical infrastructure, and digital economy.” Key requirements include:

30 days: Agencies must designate a PQC migration lead responsible for overseeing the agency’s move toward stronger encryption.
90 days: The director of the Office of Management and Budget must issue guidance directing agencies to transition all “High Value Assets” and “high impact systems” to PQC standards approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) by the end of 2031, accelerating a prior Biden administration policy of transitioning to quantum resistant cryptography by 2035.
180 days: The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council), in consultation with certain department heads, must publish a proposed rule amending the FAR to require covered federal contractors to comply with NIST’s post-quantum information processing standards by 2030.
270 days: The FAR Council must publish a proposed rule requiring covered contractors to implement vulnerability disclosure programs that expressly cover cryptographic vulnerabilities. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) must also publish guidance on minimum elements for a cryptographic bill of materials to allow for the “automated assessment of the cryptographic assets” used in hardware or software.

The Quantum Security EO also directs Sector Risk Management Agencies — federal departments and agencies that work with the private sector to lead the protection of the nation’s critical infrastructure — to assist critical infrastructure owners and operators in developing their own PQC migration plans.
Quantum Innovation EO: U.S. Quantum “Superpower”
The Quantum Innovation EO establishes a whole-of-government push to cement U.S. leadership in quantum information science and technology (QIST). To that end:

National Quantum Strategy: The Quantum Innovation EO directs an updating of the U.S. quantum strategy within 180 days, with a focus on commercialization, domestic ecosystem development, and industry partnership.
Scientific Applications: The order establishes the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science (QC-ADDS) Effort to build a large-scale quantum computer at a U.S. Department of Energy facility and make it available to the scientific community, “to initiate the era of quantum-enabled scientific discovery.”
Quantum Sensing and Networking: Quantum sensors can measure gravity, magnetic fields, and even time with extraordinary precision and offer a potential alternative to GPS navigation. The Quantum Innovation EO directs the U.S. Department of War to identify within 60 days at least three next-generation quantum sensor projects for fielding by September 30, 2028. It also directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop a plan for “advancing commercial readiness of quantum sensing” and directs other agencies to develop five-year plans for advancing quantum sensing and networking applications.
Domestic Supply Chain: Within 120 days, agencies must develop plans to build U.S.-based quantum-enabling component technology capacity, potentially using prize challenges and advance market commitments.
Workforce: The Office of Personnel Management must develop a government-wide QIST recruitment and retention strategy within 90 days, and the National Science Foundation must establish a network of National QIST Workforce Development Institutes within 180 days.
Technology Protection: The Quantum Innovation EO directs the FBI to expand the Quantum Information Science and Technology Counterintelligence Protection Team to bolster defenses against adversarial threats to the U.S. QIST ecosystem.
International Engagement: The order instructs the U.S. secretaries of state and commerce to harmonize export controls and investment restrictions with allies to prevent technology transfer to countries of concern.

Implications

Federal contractors should monitor the forthcoming FAR proposed rules and begin assessing their cryptographic posture now, well ahead of the December 31, 2030, compliance deadline.
Software and hardware vendors should prepare to produce a cryptographic bill of materials for their products in anticipation of CISA’s forthcoming minimum-element guidance.
Critical infrastructure operators should engage with their Sector Risk Management Agencies and expect sector-specific PQC guidance.
Quantum technology companies and investors should track the QC-ADDS partnership models and advance market commitment frameworks, which represent significant contracting opportunities.
Exporters and international investors should assess their activities in light of forthcoming harmonized export controls targeting countries of concern.
Investors and technology firms should remain attuned to government funding opportunities as departments and agencies push to expand U.S. quantum technology preeminence.