President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on June 22, to safeguard America’s most sensitive data, its critical infrastructure, and the digital economy that drives jobs and growth.
Encryption is the process of transforming information to which only authorized parties can have access. An advanced cryptographic attack is a method used by unauthorized persons or entities to breach or compromise encryption systems. To protect the U.S. Government and the American economy from such cyber threats the President issued an order directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Cyber Director to lead an accelerated, nationwide migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), ensuring that the U.S, and our its data stay secure as quantum technology evolves.
President Trump’s order also directs the Department of Commerce, the National Security Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security to deliver clear, practical guidance to agencies on effectuating and accelerating PQC migration. It directs agencies to designate a PQC migration lead and to transition high value assets for certain uses to PQC by 2030 and 2031 depending on the use case.
The Department of Commerce is directed to initiate a pilot project for PQC migration, to be completed by December 31, 2027. The Order also directs the State Department and other Federal agencies to assist and encourage critical infrastructure operators, foreign governments, and foreign industry groups in their transitions to PQC, reinforcing U.S. leadership on the world stage. OMB, the Department of War, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the General Services Administration are directed to coordinate efforts to identify cost-saving opportunities in the national PQC migration strategy. In addition, the Order directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to require covered contractors to meet certain Federal cybersecurity standards and vulnerability disclosure policies by the end of 2030.
“America stands at the cusp of a quantum revolution,” President Trump states in his executive order. “Quantum information science and technology (QIST) will provide transformational capabilities that will drive American innovation, power economic growth, generate high-paying jobs, and bolster national security.” President Trump noted that “in 2018, I laid the foundation for United States leadership in QIST by signing into law the National Quantum Initiative Act and doubling Federal investment in QIST research and development. Today, as other nations move quickly to challenge American leadership, the United States must take a cohesive, whole-of-government approach to accelerate deployment and commercialization of quantum computing, sensing, and networking.”