Quantum warfare: potential and pathways
+ It may be too early to stake a lot on the potential applications of quantum information sciences, but the term ‘quantum supremacy’ has already been used by the United States government, and a United Kingdom report has touted the idea of ‘quantum superiority’.The authors of the UK report said that quantum technology would likely enable us to ‘see around corners, map hidden underground hazards, and easily solve problems that would stump any existing supercomputer.’ These are capabilities that would be of high interest to military leaders.
+ In his confirmation hearings on 19 January 2021, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin identified quantum computing as one of four areas where the US would need to make advances if it wanted to keep a military edge over China. In late 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping singled out quantum technologies as the vanguard of a new round of ‘sci-tech and industrial revolutions’.
+ In this webinar, Dr Michal Krelina, Czech scholar and founder of the start-up Quantum Phi, gave an overview of the military potential of quantum technologies, drawing on his article ‘Quantum Warfare: Definitions, Overview and Challenges.’ Dr Greg Austin provided an overview of the challenges governments will face in adapting these technologies to military use. He also addressed the latest developments under the US strategy, ‘National Strategic Overview for Quantum Information Science’, and the US National Quantum Initiative Act.
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