The various branches of the U.S. military have systematically laid out related projects in quantum technology, accelerating the application of quantum technology in the field of defense. This article analyzes the development trend of quantum technology from four perspectives: defense, funding, industry, and research output. Taking the U.S. military as the main object, based on the Department of Defense’s 2024 fiscal year defense technology budget, it analyzes the project layout of U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the field of quantum technology; it analyzes the application prospects of quantum technology in defense, and elaborates on the high-precision detection capabilities of quantum sensing technology, the high-speed information processing capabilities of quantum computing, and the secure confidential communication capabilities of quantum communication.
The various branches of the U.S. military have systematically laid out related projects in quantum technology, accelerating the application of quantum technology in the field of defense. This article analyzes the development trend of quantum technology from four perspectives: defense, funding, industry, and research output. Taking the U.S. military as the main object, based on the Department of Defense’s 2024 fiscal year defense technology budget, it analyzes the project layout of U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the field of quantum technology; it analyzes the application prospects of quantum technology in defense, and elaborates on the high-precision detection capabilities of quantum sensing technology, the high-speed information processing capabilities of quantum computing, and the secure confidential communication capabilities of quantum communication.
The article focuses on quantum technologies and the prospects for their application in the defense and security sectors. Based on an analysis of the current state of development of quantum technologies and their applications in defense and security, three main areas are identified: quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensors. For each of these, a specific set of applications, advantages, and limitations is identified. It is noted that quantum computing in defense and security finds application primarily in four subfields: post-quantum cryptography, quantum cryptography, cyber threat detection, and cryptanalysis; quantum communication ensures secure information transmission by utilizing the physical properties of quantum states, particularly the principle of the impossibility of cloning a quantum state, with its primary practical application being Quantum key distribution and its promising application being the quantum internet; quantum sensors are the category of quantum technologies closest to operational deployment, as they utilize the hypersensitivity of quantum states to external disturbances to achieve measurement accuracy unattainable by classical devices. A summary of the main areas of application for quantum technologies in defense and security indicates that quantum sensors have the nearest practical implementation horizon (5–7 years), while quantum computing will have the greatest strategic impact on cryptographic infrastructure due to the threat it poses to existing asymmetric encryption algorithms—which is precisely why the transition to post-quantum standards is becoming urgent. Therefore, given the significant interest in and funding for quantum technologies from both the civilian industry and governments, it is expected that these technologies will continue to develop and new quantum applications will become available over the next five to ten years, and new advances in the development of quantum technologies may bring new opportunities for the military, but for the military to actually reap the benefits of new quantum technologies, they need to actively engage in this field and guide the development and implementation of military applications of quantum technologies.
Quantum technology is an emerging and possibly revolutionary field, capable of impacting several human efforts. Quantum technologies are dual-use, attracting interest from the defense, security, military, and governmental sectors. Previous research has highlighted the substantial benefits of using quantum computing systems across several domains. These systems have previously exhibited the capability to accelerate processing in critical domains, such as big integer factorization, relative to their traditional equivalents. The fundamental significance of quantum factoring has been proven for cryptography. This will render RSA encryption, a widely used encryption method based on the inability of computer systems to factor huge integers, effectively useless. Nonetheless, overcoming encryption is not the only potential use or benefit of quantum computing for national defense and security-related objectives. This review paper explores the emerging role of quantum computing in the military and defense sectors. It highlights the significance of recent advancements in quantum technologies for defense applications and provides an overview of defense-focused quantum research. A comprehensive literature survey examined various existing quantum computing techniques relevant to military use. The paper also presents a comparative analysis of these approaches, discusses key challenges, and outlines potential future directions in this rapidly evolving field.
A new paradigm in computing called quantum computing has the potential to change many industries, including the military and government. The purpose of this study is to examine the applications, opportunities, difficulties, and prospects of quantum computing in these fields. The paper provides a comprehensive introduction to quantum computing, highlighting its distinctions from conventional computing, and discussing a range of quantum computing technologies. It examines the present and foreseeable uses of quantum computing in government and defense, including high-performance computing, cybersecurity and encryption, intelligence and surveillance, and logistics. Additionally, it looks at how quantum computing might advance national security, facilitate better decision-making, and speed up research and development. Also, it discusses issues with quantum computing, such as its exorbitant cost, security issues as well as a trained personnel shortage. The paper concludes by examining the potential applications of quantum computing in these fields, including their integration with conventional computing systems, the research and development of quantum technologies, public-private sector partnerships, and their potential to spur innovation and alter military and governmental operations. The report comes to the conclusion that, despite the difficulties, quantum computing holds great promise for transforming the public and defense sectors. More research and development are essential to accomplish this promise.
Quantum technology is one of the new and advanced technologies to support national defense. Therefore, we ask a research question: what are the forms of applying quantum technology to help national defense and security in the future? For this reason, we use a literature study to answer this research question so that the desired results are obtained. From the research conducted, there are various benefits derived from applying quantum technology to support national defense and security. Including detecting hidden enemy forces, supporting operations in an environment with decreased GPS, protecting highly classified data from enemy attacks, and various other benefits that did not obtain from previous technologies. Thus, a country needs to study and develop quantum technology to support national defense and security in the future. Given the growing development of technology, the threats posed are increasingly varied.
While the fundamental nature of war remains constant, military strategies continue to evolve in response to capabilities enabled by new technologies. Therefore, military leaders must be aware of emerging and disruptive technologies to maintain forces that are relevant. One such technology is quantum technology, which has received a great deal of attention in the past few years due to its potential application in a wide range of areas. Particularly, quantum technology promises breakthroughs in various domains of warfare by significantly enhancing current military technology. This article explores three major defense applications of quantum technology—quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communication—and their impact on future warfare based on realistic assessment.
The rapid development of quantum technologies opens up new opportunities for the military sphere, inparticular in the fields of cybersecurity, communications, navigation, intelligence and modelling of complex combatscenarios. The article analyses the current state of research in the field of quantum computing, quantum cryptography,quantum sensors and sensors, as well as their potential application to increase the combat capability of the ArmedForces of Ukraine. The possibilities of using quantum algorithms to solve complex optimization problems that can beuseful in military logistics, military resource management and threat forecasting are considered.Particular attention is paid to the prospects for the implementation of quantum technologies to create securecommunication channels that prevent unauthorized interception of information, as well as for the development of newnavigation systems that do not depend on satellite signals and are capable of operating in electronic warfareconditions. The paper also examines the main challenges facing the introduction of quantum technologies into themilitary sphere, in particular technical, financial and organizational barriers.Based on the analysis, key areas of further research have been identified that will contribute to the effectiveintroduction of quantum technologies into the defense sector of Ukraine. Approaches to creating an innovative strategyfor the development of quantum technologies in the military sphere, which involves both scientific research and thepractical implementation of their results in military information systems, communication systems and intelligencemeans, have been proposed.