New R Street Study Warns U.S. Critical Infrastructure Is Running Out of Time to Prepare for Quantum Threats
Publish Date: 2026-06-25 05:03:00
Source Domain: www.rstreet.org
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the R Street Institute released a new policy study, “Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration in the United States: Managing Risk and Advancing Cyber Readiness in Critical Infrastructure.” The study examines how the United States can approach post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration across critical infrastructure through a risk-based lens, and what policymakers and industry leaders must do now to avoid severe long-term consequences.
The study is authored by Mark Dalton, the senior director of R Street’s technology and innovation team, and Haiman Wong, a former resident fellow specializing in cybersecurity and emerging threats. It draws on insights from R Street’s PQC Policy Working Group, which includes stakeholders across industry, academia, and government.This study is particularly relevant in light of the Trump administration’s recent executive order, which directs federal agencies to migrate high-value systems to PQC by 2030 and mandates that federal contractors do the same.
Today, quantum computing is advancing faster than many anticipated. Recent breakthroughs have compressed earlier timelines for “Q-Day”, which is the point at which a quantum computer could break widely used public-key encryption, raising new urgency for systems that store sensitive, long-lived data. The study warns that the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat is already active because adversaries can collect encrypted data today with the expectation of decrypting it once quantum capabilities mature. For critical infrastructure sectors like energy, financial services, healthcare, and defense, the window for proactive migration is narrowing.
The study advances three core findings: PQC migration must be treated as a present-day risk management imperative. Data sensitivity, system criticality, and transition feasibility should drive prioritization. Federal leadership must move beyond high-level direction toward harmonized implementation. To that end, the authors offer four policy recommendations:
Align federal leadership, budgeting, and accountability mechanisms
Use targeted “Requests for Information” to identify implementation gaps and demonstrate solution pathways
Launch pilot programs in high-impact environments, particularly at the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Treasury
Leverage market signals and private-sector leadership to accelerate adoption
As Mark writes, “Waiting for certainty before initiating PQC migration is no longer a tenable position. The foundational steps of conducting a cryptographic inventory, prioritizing the most sensitive long-lived data, and beginning migration where feasible are available now.”
You can read the full study here.
If you would like to speak with Mark about this, please contact [email protected].
