the term quantum technology means the
technology mainly arises from the
so-called second quantum revolution
earlier the first quantum revolution
brought technologies familiar to us
today such as nuclear power
semiconductors lasers magnetic resonance
imaging modern communication
technologies or digital cameras and
other imaging devices the first quantum
technology resulted in nuclear weapons
and energy then the classical computer
gained a significant role presently
laser weapons are being implemented and
tested
the second quantum revolution is
characterized by manipulating and
controlling individual quantum systems
such as atoms ions electrons photons
molecules or various quasi particles
allowing to reach the standard quantum
limit that is the limit to measurement
accuracy at quantum scales
over the last century quantum physics
has transformed the human world today's
digital and communications kit and much
of current energy production has been
made possible by applying quantum
effects to produce transistors computers
lasers and imaging
quantum technology which uses the
subatomic universe's surprising and
often counter-intuitive properties
revolutionizes how information is
gathered stored shared and analyzed
the second wave of quantum technologies
harnesses aspects of subatomic particle
behavior called superposition and
entanglement
superposition describes the property of
a particle being in two or more states
at once entanglement is when two
particles are so connected that they are
a one whole system not two separate
components even when the two particles
are separated by thousands of kilometers
harnessing these characteristics allows
quantum computers for example to
increase computational capacity and
speed beyond anything available today
enables quantum sensors to provide
information from corners and deep
underground and allows quantum
communication devices to enable highly
secure protected communication
all of these technologies have military
applications the complete set is
currently beyond imagination
the commercial and scientific potential
of the quantum revolution is vast but in
national security quantum technology is
making the most giant waves the
country's governments are the heaviest
investors in quantum research and
development
quantum technology promises
breakthroughs in weapons communications
sensing and computing technology that
could change the world's balance of
military power the potential for
strategic advantage has spurred a
significant increase in funding and
research and development in recent years
the three key areas of quantum
technology are computing communications
and sensing particularly in the united
states and china all three are now seen
as crucial parts of the struggle for
economic and military supremacy
better artificial intelligence and
machine learning with quantum computing
advances in quantum computing could
result in a leap in artificial
intelligence and machine learning
this could improve the performance of
lethal autonomous weapon systems which
can select and engage targets without
human oversight it would also make it
easier to analyze the large datasets
used in defense intelligence and cyber
security
improved machine learning may also
confer a significant advantage in
carrying out and defending against cyber
attacks on civilian and military
infrastructure
the most potent current quantum computer
as far as we know is made by the u.s
company ibm which works closely with u.s
defense and intelligence
unhackable quantum communication
quantum communication systems can be
completely secure and unhackable quantum
communication is also required for
networking quantum computers which is
expected to enhance quantum
computational power exponentially
china is the clear global leader here
using ground and satellite connections a
quantum communication network already
links beijing shanghai jinan and jefe
china's prioritization of secure quantum
communications is likely linked to
revelations of u.s covert global
surveillance operations the u.s has been
the most advanced and effective
communications surveillance and
intelligence power for the past 70 years
but that could change with a successful
chinese effort
powerful quantum sensing
quantum computing and communications
promise future advantages but the
quantum technology closest to military
deployment today is quantum sensing
new quantum sensing systems offer more
sensitive detection and measurement of
the physical environment existing
stealth systems including the latest
generation of warplanes and ultra-quiet
nuclear submarines may no longer be so
hard to spot
superconducting quantum interference
devices or squids which can make
susceptible measurements of magnetic
fields are expected to make it easier to
detect submarines underwater soon
undetectable submarines armed with
nuclear missiles are an essential
deterrent against nuclear war because
they could attack their home country and
retaliate against the attacker networks
of more advanced squids could make these
submarines more detectable and
vulnerable in the future upsetting the
balance of nuclear deterrence and the
logic of mutually assured destruction
the quantum tech arms race is on
developing quantum technology isn't
cheap only a few states have the
organizational capacity and
technological know-how to compete
russia india japan the european union
and australia have established
significant quantum research and
development programs but china and the
u.s hold a substantial lead in the new
quantum race
and the race is heating up in 2015 the
us was the world's largest investor in
quantum technology spending around 500
million dollars by 2021 this investment
had grown to almost 2.1 billion u.s
dollars
however chinese investment in quantum
technology in the same period expanded
from 300 million u.s dollars to an
estimated 13 billion u.s dollars
the leaders of the two nations joe biden
and xi jinping have emphasized the
importance of quantum technology as a
critical national security tool
the u.s federal government has
established a three pillars model of
quantum research under which federal
investment is split between civilian
defense and intelligence agencies
in china information on quantum security
programs is more opaque still the
people's liberation army is known to be
supporting quantum research through its
own military science academies and
extensive funding programs in the
broader scientific community
new technologies new arrangements
the us is integrating quantum
cooperation agreements into existing
alliances such as nato and into more
recent strategic arrangements such as
the australia uk usa security pact and
the quadrilateral security dialogue the
quad between australia india japan and
the us
china already cooperates with russia in
many technology areas and events may
propel closer quantum cooperation
in the cold war between the u.s and the
ussr nuclear weapons were transformative
technology international standards and
agreements were developed to regulate
them and ensure safety and
predictability in much the same way new
accords and arrangements will be needed
as the future of the modern quantum tech
arms races on and heating up quantum
tech is transforming the conflict it
would be suitable for the developments
of quantum tech with the competition but
it would be wrong if it is out of
control