Winning is much easier if you have an edge, whether that be better personnel, strategy, and/or technology. Quantum Information Science (QIS) - which includes quantum sensing, networking, communications, and computing - provides a technology that both tactical and strategic commanders will leverage to seize the initiative and create positions of advantage. Optimizing the exploitation of quantum technology will require that senior leaders understand enough about the technology and its fast-evolving applications to outmaneuver and outthink our adversaries. This does not require expertise in all facets of QIS, any more than a computer user needs to know computer design. This article attempts to be an introduction to quantum technology and some of its potential uses in the military operational environment.
Winning is much easier if you have an edge, whether that be better personnel, strategy, and/or technology. Quantum Information Science (QIS) - which includes quantum sensing, networking, communications, and computing - provides a technology that both tactical and strategic commanders will leverage to seize the initiative and create positions of advantage. Optimizing the exploitation of quantum technology will require that senior leaders understand enough about the technology and its fast-evolving applications to outmaneuver and outthink our adversaries. This does not require expertise in all facets of QIS, any more than a computer user needs to know computer design. This article attempts to be an introduction to quantum technology and some of its potential uses in the military operational environment.
Quantum Information Science (QIS) is potentially a game-changing technology for the future military operational environment. Being significantly dependent on the capabilities of current quantum computers, it is still very immature; however, evolving rapidly and increasing the technical and knowledge potential of industrial and state actor players that invest in it. Investing in this technology can lead the NATO Alliance to gain quantum superiority and outperform its adversaries in technological development in diverse military domains. This article presents possible applications of QIS in the military domain in the form of use cases. We have formulated these use cases after analysis of today's capabilities of quantum computing technology and its prospects for the future of the quantum information domain. Our article concludes with initial recommendations for the early adoption of quantum technology. This paper was presented at the NATO Science and Technology Organization Symposium (ICMCIS) organized by the Information Systems Technology (IST) Panel, IST-200 RSY - the ICMCIS, held in Skopje, North Macedonia, 16–17 May 2023.
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.
Quantum information science (QIS) explores how information can be encoded, processed, and transmitted using the principles of quantum mechanics. Quantum technologies including quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing have experienced rapid advancements over the past decade. This review highlights foundational concepts, major technological platforms, applications, and current research trends. It also examines challenges in scalability, error correction, and implementation that shape the pathway toward practical quantum systems.
Scientific and technological progress has repeatedly revolutionized society, from the invention of steam-power-driven machines that brought forth the Industrial Age to the development of the transistor that sparked the Information Age. As societies and economies become more connected through global communication networks and reliant on computational power, the demand for faster, more efficient, and secure information capabilities escalates commensurately. Enter Quantum Information Science (QIS) (QIS), a field founded on the physical laws of quantum mechanics that introduce extraordinary different and powerful paradigms for generating, manipulating, measuring, securing, and processing information. While many quantum effects are generally well understood and form the basis of widely exploited current technology, QIS is still a richly underexplored research area. This overview provides a basic research perspective on the foundational resources that empower QIS, the main challenges in exploiting QIS for practical applications, and the need for input from researchers outside quantum physics, such as those from the aerospace community, to stimulate new ideas and advance progress in QIS. This paper introduces key QIS concepts and continues with discussions on each of the following subareas: sensing, computation and algorithms, networks, and information security. The paper concludes with an outlook of the field as it relates to aerospace.
Quantum technologies result from the use of the laws of modern physics in increasingly sophisticated devices, promising enormous advances in computing, communication, and sensing, for both civilian and military use. As a consequence of technological progress that has miniaturized instrumentation down to atomic scales, we are witnessing the nanoscale manipulation of physical systems using intrinsic properties of quantum systems, such as entanglement. Quantum sensors are able to go beyond classical detection limits. Quantum communication offers a security advantage over classical communication. Quantum computing enables the solution of problems considered impossible to solve with classical computers. These technologies emerge as a result of advances in science and engineering, enabling the manipulation of systems at the atomic level. In this article we briefly present the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics, the main examples of quantum technologies in sensing, communication, and computing. We show military applications and conclude by presenting the challenges and opportunities.
W elcome to Quantum Computing Strategy: Foundations and Applicability , a journey into one of the most enigmatic and transformative technologies of our age. In these pages, we will explore the world of quantum computing, a field that challenges our traditional notions of computation and information processing. This book doesn’t require advanced mathematical or physics knowledge. It is written for a broad audience, including technology enthusiasts, professionals exploring quantum computing applications in their fields, and policymakers seeking to understand the strategic importance of this emerging technology.