Government Prepares for a Post-Quantum Future

New White House directives are accelerating the federal transition to post-quantum cryptography.

Quantum has moved from a research problem to a planning problem. Agencies now have executive-level direction and firm deadlines, and the work of finding and replacing vulnerable cryptography is already underway.

This Deep Dive from GovCIO Media & Research looks at where that work stands across the federal government. As agencies inventory cryptographic assets, modernize legacy systems, and build enterprise-wide migration strategies, the report traces what the new executive orders actually require and how the Department of War is setting its own implementation timelines.

Inside the report

1. Why cryptographic asset inventory is the first and hardest step in PQC migration
2. What the White House executive orders on quantum require, and on what timeline
3. How the Pentagon is setting its own PQC implementation schedule
4. Where agencies are finding the budget and the people to do the work

Featured contributors

• Kirsten Davies
  ‍Chief Information Officer, Department of War

• Celia Merzbacher
  Director, Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C)

• Bassam Al-Khalidi
  Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Axiad

• Prathibha Rama
  Computer Engineer, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Who should read this

1. Agency CIOs and CISOs setting post-quantum migration timelines and budgets
2. ICAM and PKI leaders building the cryptographic inventory those timelines depend on
3. Program and acquisition leads scoping PQC requirements into upcoming work
4. Defense industrial base security leaders facing the December 2030 and 2031 deadlines

About this report

Government Prepares for a Post-Quantum Future is a Deep Dive report produced independently by GovCIO Media & Research and published August 14, 2026. Axiad Federal is the sponsor. Editorial content, reporting, and interview selection are the work of the GovCIO Media & Research newsroom.

GovCIO Media & Research covers technology and policy across federal civilian agencies, defense, and health, through reporting, events, and original research.

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