The Quantum-Cryptography Cliff: From Roadmaps To Reality
SC Media, Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
Post-quantum readiness has been an active policy issue inside government for several years, yet the onset of "Q-Day" - the day when quantum computing that breaks our encryption standards becomes widely available - has never quite felt as immediate as it does now.
While I was at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), we worked with the National Security Council on post-quantum readiness to prepare National Security Memorandum 10, Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems, published in May 2022.
This past November, the Department of War (DoW) issued an memo outlining steps that need to be taken within the Department to prepare DoW systems to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. And just this month, the G7 Cyber Expert Group released a statement on Advancing a Coordinated Roadmap for the Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography in the Financial Sector.