DOD Directed by 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to Assess Threats Posed by Quantum Computing Technologies

(MilitaryAerospace) The fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act contained a provision that directed the Department of Defense to assess the current and potential threats and risks posed by quantum computing technologies to critical national security systems.
Powerful quantum computers pose a danger to national security because they may be able to break current encryption capabilities, meaning secure communications under current systems will be nearly impossible. Adversaries with quantum capabilities will be able to communicate securely without fear of interception by the U.S., unless it achieves its own quantum computer.