Quantum Sensing Priority: The Trump administration targets quantum sensing to bolster national security and economic growth.
Defense and Civilian Benefits: Quantum sensors provide reliable navigation and detection, addressing GPS vulnerabilities.
Urgent Action Needed: Underinvestment and supply chain issues risk America’s quantum leadership, requiring strategic federal initiatives.
Quantum Sensing as a National Security Imperative
Quantum sensing stands at the forefront of the Trump administration’s strategy to secure U.S. leadership in quantum technology, a critical national security priority. By leveraging the unique properties of subatomic physics, quantum technologies promise transformative economic benefits across pharmaceuticals, transportation, and communications sectors.
Additionally, they introduce significant security implications, enabling advanced battlefield capabilities and potential cyber threats that could reshape global power dynamics. With federal budgets tightening, the administration must prioritize strategic investments, as Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios noted, requiring “smart and creative bets with outsized returns” to advance America’s quantum ambitions effectively.
Quantum sensing, the most mature quantum technology, offers a prime opportunity for rapid deployment. Targeted federal initiatives could deploy quantum sensors within three years, delivering substantial defense, security, and economic benefits while strengthening domestic supply chains and global leadership. However, Kratsios warned, “There is nothing predestined about technological progress,” emphasizing the need for timely and decisive action to realize these gains.
Critical Applications of Quantum Sensors
Quantum sensors are poised to revolutionize defense, critical infrastructure, and commercial sectors, with a projected market value approaching $1 billion by 2028. Their most pressing national security application is providing reliable positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) when Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are compromised.
Adversaries are increasingly jamming and spoofing GPS, disrupting missions in conflict zones like Ukraine, impacting thousands of commercial flights daily, and even targeting high-profile assets like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft. Large-scale attacks could cost the United States over $1 billion daily in defense and infrastructure losses, underscoring the urgency of adopting quantum navigation solutions.
By measuring time, acceleration, rotation, and local magnetic and gravity fields with atomic-level precision, quantum sensors deliver unparalleled accuracy without relying on vulnerable external signals. Unlike GPS alternatives using radar, lidar, or cameras, these sensors operate stealthily in any weather or environment, enabling precise guidance for munitions, submarines, drones, and spacecraft.
Moreover, they ensure stable synchronization for telecom networks, power grids, and financial transactions, enhancing critical infrastructure resilience. Their precision also enhances detection capabilities for hidden tunnels, nuclear facilities, submarines, and missile threats, aligning with the Trump administration’s proposed “Golden Dome” architecture.
Challenges Threatening U.S. Quantum Leadership
Despite leading global quantum sensing research, the United States faces risks from underinvestment, inconsistent demand, and fragile supply chains, threatening to stall prototypes in the “Valley of Death.” Over twenty domestic firms, from startups to defense primes, have developed sensor prototypes, accelerated by programs like those from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Defense Innovation Unit.
However, only 9 percent of quantum venture capital supports sensing, with the majority flowing to quantum computing, a less mature technology with uncertain near-term applications. This funding imbalance highlights the need for government intervention to prioritize quantum sensors, which offer immediate national security benefits.
The Department of War (DoW) faces coordination challenges across its quantum programs, limiting their impact, while the PNT Oversight Council has prioritized costly GPS upgrades over next-generation solutions like quantum sensors. Congressional cuts to quantum sensing and alternative PNT programs by 40 percent this year exacerbate the issue, despite these technologies addressing critical operational gaps.
Furthermore, the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act, which lapsed in 2023, awaits reauthorization, kindizing research and development (R&D) at key agencies like the Department of Energy (DOE), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Science Foundation (NSF).
“There is nothing predestined about technological progress.”
— Michael Kratsios, Office of Science and Technology Policy Director
Global Competition and Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
Weak demand has left quantum sensor developers reliant on a thin supplier base for critical components like lasers, isotopes, and photonic materials, often sourced from adversaries like China and Russia. This dependency creates vulnerabilities that could hinder progress across all quantum technologies. Meanwhile, China is rapidly advancing, leading in quantum communications and closing the gap in quantum sensing and computing. Backed by centralized state funding, China excels at deploying lab breakthroughs, positioning it to seize early defense and economic advantages unless the U.S. acts swiftly.
Strategies to Secure America’s Quantum Edge
To maintain its quantum leadership, the U.S. must act on three fronts. First, a strong federal commitment to quantum sensing can catalyze private investment. The DoD’s PNT Oversight Council and critical infrastructure agencies should establish firm requirements for GPS alternatives, and a new Joint Quantum Office could streamline investments across the armed services.
Grand challenge competitions, pooling resources from agencies like the Departments of Homeland Security, Interior, Transportation, Energy, and the National Institutes of Health, could accelerate demonstrations in sectors like mineral exploration and biomedical diagnostics, with tax credits fostering a sustainable market.
Second, strengthening the quantum industrial base is critical. The Defense and Commerce Departments should monitor suppliers and invest $30 million initially to scale domestic production of key components, reducing reliance on foreign sources. Calibrated tariffs and export controls can further mitigate supply chain risks.
Third, reauthorizing the National Quantum Initiative Act will expand research and development, improving sensor performance and cultivating a skilled workforce through quantum curricula and academia-industry partnerships. These steps will ensure the U.S. not only addresses immediate threats but also leads the global quantum era.
A Call to Action for Quantum Leadership
By prioritizing quantum sensors, the Trump administration and Congress can address GPS vulnerabilities, drive battlefield and commercial advancements, and strengthen the quantum ecosystem within years. Strategic investments and clear demand signals will position the U.S. to outpace competitors like China, securing economic and security advantages. Policymakers must act decisively to reinforce America’s quantum leadership, ensuring it shapes the rules of the global quantum landscape for decades to come.
