Twin executive orders target quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography

On 22 June 2026 President Trump signed two executive orders on quantum technology as a package. Executive Order 14412, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks,” states the risk that “the advent of large-scale quantum computers, particularly in the hands of adversaries, will pose a significant threat to widely used cryptographic security systems,” including “the risk of adversaries collecting United States information now, and decrypting it later once large-scale quantum computers are operational,” and sets the policy of transitioning federal information systems to National Institute of Standards and Technology- approved Federal Information Processing Standards for post-quantum cryptography while assisting critical- infrastructure owners and operators.¹ Executive Order 14413, “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation,” directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology — in coordination with the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the National Science Foundation — to update the National Quantum Strategy within 180 days, and establishes the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science (QC-ADDS) effort to pursue “development of a quantum computer at a scale intended to initiate the era of quantum-enabled scientific discovery,” with “the intent to deliver at least one such computer” to a Department of Energy facility, and directs the Secretary of Energy to identify the machine’s required technical specifications within 90 days and publicly release a summary of them “as appropriate.”² Both orders were published in the Federal Register on 25 June 2026.¹²

1. EO 14412 operationalises the migration through agency “PQC migration leads” reporting to chief information officers, with prioritisation built on categories the order defines from existing federal-cybersecurity frameworks: FIPS 199 “high impact” systems, high-value assets under OMB Memorandum M-19-03, and National Security Systems as defined at 44 U.S.C. § 3552(b)(6); “critical infrastructure” takes its definition from § 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5195c(e).¹ The NIST post-quantum standards at the migration’s core — FIPS 203, 204 and 205, finalised in August 2024 — supply the approved algorithms.³

2. EO 14413 extends the statutory framework of the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018, Pub. L. 115-368, which established the National Quantum Coordination Office and the research-center structure; the order directs the updated National Quantum Strategy to include policies “promoting commercialization and deployment of QIST,” with the five principal agencies acting “in coordination” and the National Science and Technology Council’s quantum subcommittees (SCQIS and ESIX) “in consultation.”²⁴ The package joins the administration’s technology sequence of June 2026 alongside the AI executive order and national-security memorandum (see EO promotes advanced AI innovation and security and NSPM-11: AI in the national security enterprise).