Where's the US's federal post-quantum security leadership?

Government risks threat from state actors if they don't take action on PQC migration.

Jun 25, 2025 11:59 PM 2 min read

Biscuits cooking in an oven. The government accountability office said the US national quantum strategy fell short on working to protect federal systems from future threats. — Half-baked? US national quantum strategy lacks leadership, said GAO. Image Credit: https://unsplash.com/@ciefo

The US federal government needs a joined-up national strategy on rolling out post-quantum cryptography (PQC) officials said this week.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) told a subcommittee on cybersecurity on June 24 that the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) was “well-positioned” to take charge of a coordinated effort.

July 2024 estimates by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) suggested that securing priority federal systems with PQC by 2035 would cost $7.1 billion – mostly to replace IT systems where "cryptographic algorithms were hardwired into the hardware or firmware” it claimed.

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Noah Bovenizer

Noah Bovenizer is a senior reporter with The Stack. He previously covered the transportation sector for Global Data. He has a first class degree in journalism and has also worked as a newsreader for Gaydio.