July 31, 2023
The United States’ Quantum Talent Shortage Is a National Security Vulnerability
A critical technology area promises to transform nearly every industry dependent on speed and processing power, from agriculture and financial services to health care and defense: quantum information science and technology, or QIST. QIST is an interdisciplinary field studying how to apply the laws of quantum physics to various forms of information processing, including computation and messaging. Quantum technologies’ promising but unknown potential has led the Biden administration to rank U.S. leadership in this area among its highest priorities, but the United States currently lacks access to the talent required to maintain competitiveness. The United States’ QIST talent shortage is a national security risk—and the White House has no solid plan to fill critical vacancies.
The United States has QIST advantages but can only maximize them by first prioritizing the development of a robust, diverse, and agile quantum workforce.
QIST encompasses three primary subfields. Quantum computing studies how superposition and entanglement—two properties inherent in quantum bits, or qubits—can store data and solve problems too complex for current computers. Quantum communication exploits the properties of qubits to encode information and transfer data between distant locations, achieving a level of security not possible by current communication networks. Quantum sensing uses the sensitivity of quantum states to measure physical properties like temperature, magnetic field, and rotation with unparalleled precision.
Read the full article from Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Dutch Export Controls Don’t Go Far Enough on ChinaControlling the machines that make chips matters more than controlling any specific chip....
By Michelle Nie
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
China’s AI Is Spreading Fast. Here’s How to Stop the Security RisksThe first problem is not about China, but about AI as a technology: It is incredibly difficult to audit the global supply chain for AI software....
By Ryan Fedasiuk
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Anthropic, the Pentagon, and the Future of Autonomous WeaponsThe last big story right before the war in Iran started was the collapse in the relationship between the Pentagon and Anthropic, with the latter objecting to any potential use...
By Paul Scharre
-
Reports
Technology & National Security
Off TargetThe pace of progress in frontier artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities shows no sign of slowing. Frontier models offer transformative potential for national security—from ...
By Caleb Withers, Jay Kim & Ethan Chiu
