,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #acdf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #h1 #bjbe,mrs4 ,blackburn 7for herself and ,ms4 ,hassan7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,defense to accelerate the implementation of quantum information science technologies within the ,department of ,defense1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,defense ,quantum ,acceleration ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,joint quantum information science defense transition activities ,chapter #cja of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #djja the following new section3 #djjb4 ,joint quantum information science defense transition activities 7a7 ,activities required 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish a set of activities to accelerate the adoption and implementation quantum information science technology within the ,department of ,defense4 7#b7 ,elements ,pursuant to the activities established under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary1 acting through the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor designated under subsection 7b71 shall-- 7,a7 explore and identify quantum information science technologies and use cases that-- 7i7 have demonstrated value in advancing the priorities and missions of the ,department2 and 7ii7 may be applied to address operational problems2 7,b7 develop plans to transition such quantum information science technologies from the research and development phase to operational use within the ,department1 including within each of the ,armed ,forces2 and 7,c7 carry out such transition plans4 7b7 ,designation of ,principal ,quantum ,advisor 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,defense ,quantum ,acceleration ,act of #bjbe1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall designate a senior official of the ,department of ,defense to serve as the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor for the ,department4 7#b7 ,responsibilities ,the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall serve as the official within the ,department of ,defense with principal responsibility for-- 7,a7 coordinating activities relating to the accelerated demonstration and transition of quantum information science technologies for applications specific to operational challenges faced by the ,department2 7,b7 coordinating1 overseeing1 and managing the set of activities established under subsection 7a72 7,c7 carrying out the activities described in paragraphs 7#c7 through 7#f72 and 7,d7 carrying out such other duties relating to the development and implementation of quantum information science technologies as the ,secretary may direct4 7#c7 ,defining and codifying ,defense quantum information science use cases 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall-- 7i7 identify operational challenges faced by the ,department of ,defense that have the potential to be addressed through the use of quantum information science-technology based solutions1 including solutions based on the quantum information science technology areas described subparagraph 7,c72 7ii7 for each such challenge1 determine if the implementation of a quantum information science technology-based solution has the potential to be significantly more effective at addressing such challenge compared to a non-quantum information science technology-based solution1 taking into account the technology and manufacturing readiness level of the quantum information science technology-based solution2 7iii7 for each potential quantum information science technology-based solution identified under clause 7ii71 evaluate and determine the technology and manufacturing readiness level of the solution taking into account the current readiness level of such solution-- 7,i7 within the ,department2 7,,ii7 among other departments and agencies of the ,federal ,government2 7,,iii7 among ,five ,eyes countries2 and 7,,iv7 within academia and industry4 7iv7 for each quantum information science technology-based solution determined under clause 7iii7 to have a technology and manufacturing readiness level of #e or higher1 begin prototyping and evaluation activities of such solution at scale in operationally relevant environments by not later than the end of fiscal year #bjbe2 and 7v7 for each quantum information science technology-based solution determined under clause 7iii7 to have a technology and manufacturing readiness level of #d or lower1 submit to ,congress a plan for funding such solution over the period of five fiscal years following the date of the report using research1 development1 test1 and evaluation funds designated as budget activity #a 7basic research71 budget activity #b 7applied research71 budget activity #c 7advanced technology development71 or budget activity #d 7advanced component development and prototypes7 as those budget activity classifications are set forth in volume #b;,b1 chapter #e of the ,department of ,defense ,financial ,management ,regulation 7,,dod #gjjj4ad-,r71 or successor regulation4 7,b7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this paragraph1 the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall coordinate with and seek input from the ,armed ,forces and unified combatant commands-- 7i7 to identify and better understand the operational requirements of such ,armed ,forces and commands2 and 7ii7 to ensure that the timeline for transitioning any quantum information science technology-based capability to operational use within the ,armed ,forces and combatant commands aligns with-- 7,i7 the plans of such ,forces and commands across the period covered by the future-years defense program2 and 7,,ii7 the program objective memorandum processes for such ,forces and commands4 7,c7 quantum information science technology areas described ,the quantum information science technology areas described in this subparagraph are the following3 7i7 ,quantum sensing1 including-- 7,i7 alternative precision navigation and timing2 7,,ii7 undersea or underground detection2 7,,iii7 advanced intelligence1 surveillance1 and reconnaissance quantum imaging techniques2 and 7,,iv7 biomedical and health care4 7ii7 ,quantum computing1 including-- 7,i7 annealing2 7,,ii7 quantum-enabled machine learning2 7,,iii7 simulation and optimization2 and 7,,iv7 integrating quantum computing with high-performance supercomputing4 7iii7 ,quantum annealing4 7iv7 ,quantum communications1 networking1 and networked quantum computers4 7v7 ,quantum-enabled modeling and simulation4 7vi7 ,hybrid quantum computing and the integration of quantum and classical computing components4 7vii7 ,such other quantum-enabled technologies as the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor considers appropriate4 7#d7 ,acceleration of ,development and ,fielding of quantum information science technologies ,the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall-- 7,a7 use the flexibility of regulations1 personnel1 acquisition1 partnerships with industry and academia1 or other relevant policies of the ,department to accelerate the transition and fielding of quantum information science technologies2 7,b7 ensure engagement with combatant commands1 defense and private industries1 research universities1 and unaffiliated1 nonprofit research institutions on matters relating such quantum information science technologies2 and 7,c7 provide technical advice and support organizations and elements of the ,department of ,defense1 including the ,armed ,forces1 to optimize the use of quantum information science technologies to meet mission requirements4 7#e7 ,industry and academia engagement 7,a7 ,inclusion in ,consortium ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology1 shall ensure that the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor is included in the activities of the consortium established pursuant to section #bja7;b7 of the ,national ,quantum ,initiative ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #hhca7;b774 7,b7 ,outreach activities ,not less frequently than once each quarter1 the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall conduct outreach and engagement with industry and academic leaders-- 7i7 to educate organizations in the quantum information science industrial base on national security quantum information science use cases and operational challenges faced by the ,department that have the potential to be addressed through the use of quantum information science technology-based solutions as described in paragraph 7#c72 7ii7 to the extent determined appropriate by the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor1 provide industry with the opportunity to identify quantum information science technology-based solutions to operational challenges faced by the ,department2 7iii7 to educate organizations in the ,defense industrial base on near-term and commercially available quantum information science technology-based solutions that provide operationally relevant warfighting capabilities2 7iv7 to advance relevant quantum information science supply chains and manufacturing capabilities within the ,united ,states and among allies and partners of the ,united ,states2 and 7v7 to facilitate the commercialization of quantum information science technology-based solutions developed by the research and engineering organizations of the ,department of ,defense4 7#f7 ,allied ,quantum ,enhancement 7,a7 ,alignment with ,,aukus efforts ,based on the quantum information science use cases identified under paragraph 7#c77;,a77ii71 the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall-- 7i7 identify areas in which the ,united ,kingdom and ,australia1 pursuant to ,pillar ,,ii the partnership among ,australia1 the ,united ,kingdom1 and the ,united ,states 7commonly known as ,,aukus 7 are pursuing technology aligned with such use cases2 and 7ii7 align ,department research and development and procurement funding in relation to quantum information science technologies on accelerating opportunities where ,australia and the ,united ,kingdom are pursuing such technologies4 7,b7 ,multilateral ,,aukus and ,,nato meetings ,the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall organize-- 7i7 a recurring multilateral meeting of quantum technology experts from the ,united ,states1 the ,united ,kingdom1 and ,australia to facilitate information-sharing and planning relevant to quantum information science technology and defense-specific use cases for such technology2 and 7ii7 a recurring multilateral meeting of quantum technology experts from member nations of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization to facilitate such information-sharing and planning4 7c7 ,strategic plan 7#a7 ,plan required ,the ,secretary shall develop strategic plan to guide the development1 assessment1 procurement1 and implementation of quantum information science technologies within the ,department over the period of five years following the date of the plan4 7#b7 ,elements ,the plan required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,plans for the continuous evaluation1 development1 and implementation of quantum information science technology solutions within the ,department4 7,b7 ,plans for the development1 review1 performance evaluation1 and adoption of a fault-tolerant1 utility-scale quantum computer and the transition of that capability to appropriate organizations and elements of the ,department1 including the ,armed ,forces1 and such other departments and agencies of the ,federal ,government as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7,c7 ,plans for allocating the resources of the ,department to ensure such resources are focused on quantum information science technologies with the potential to solve operational challenges4 7,d7 ,identification of quantum information science technologies that-- 7i7 have critical defense-specific applications2 7ii7 cannot be adapted from commercially available quantum information science technology2 and 7iii7 are unlikely to be pursued or accelerated by industry because of limited commercial value4 7,e7 ,plans for supporting the development of capabilities identified under subparagraph 7,d74 7,f7 ,plans to help strengthen the quantum information science supply chain domestically and among trusted allies and against untrusted adversaries1 including through an assessment of-- 7i7 any associated strengths1 weaknesses1 opportunities and threats2 and 7ii7 critical components1 suppliers1 and single points of failure4 7#c7 ,report to ,congress ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the ,defense ,quantum ,acceleration ,act of #bjbe1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report that includes the plan developed under paragraph 7#a74 7d7 ,commercial security strategy ,the ,secretary shall adopt a comprehensive security strategy for commercially developed capabilities based on the guide utilized in the ,underexplored ,systems for ,utility-,scale ,quantum ,computing program of the ,defense ,advanced ,research ,projects ,agency4 7e7 ,national ,security quantum information science ,adoption ,acceleration ,testbed 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,commerce and the ,secretary of ,energy1 shall establish a national defense quantum information science joint center of excellence 7referred to in this subsection as the ,center74 7#b7 ,organization ,the ,center shall be operated by the ,secretary and shall include participation from at least the following organizations3 7,a7 ,one or more research laboratories of the ,armed ,forces4 7,b7 ,a ,national ,laboratory 7as defined in section #b of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aehja774 7,c7 ,a federally funded research and development center or a university-affiliated research center4 7,d7 ,quantum information science companies4 7#c7 ,location ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish the ,center at a location in the ,united ,states that is reasonably accessible to each organization described in paragraph 7#b74 7#d7 ,activities ,the ,center shall carry out the following activities3 7,a7 ,facilitate quantum information science technology transition and workforce development activities4 7,b7 ,conduct outreach to enhance industry and academia's understanding of and contribution to national security quantum information science technology use cases and current operational challenges faced by the ,department4 7,c7 ,prototype quantum information science technologies1 with priority given to the prototyping and transition of quantum information science-enabled position1 navigation1 and timing efforts and quantum sensors at technology readiness level six or higher4 7,d7 ,integrate the prototyping activities under subparagraph 7,c7 with the needs of the unified combatant commands4 7,e7 ,accelerate the transition of advanced quantum information science technology from the research and development phase into operational use4 7,f7 ,expand the quantum information science workforce of the ,united ,states and the quantum information science workforces of nations that are allies and partners of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,contract authority ,the ,secretary may award grants and enter into contracts and other agreements1 on a competitive basis1 to support the activities of the ,center4 7#f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjbi4 7f7 ,research opportunities and workforce planning 7#a7 ,enhancement of research opportunities ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of ,defense ,quantum ,acceleration ,act of #bjbe1 the ,secretary shall seek to increase opportunities for the study of quantum information science within-- 7,a7 the military service academies4 7,b7 the ,reserve ,officers' ,training ,corps2 and 7,c7 other institutions and programs of the ,department and the ,armed ,forces that provide postsecondary and graduate level education4 7#b7 ,standard operating procedures ,the ,secretary shall direct the chief of each ,armed ,force1 in consultation with the heads of the research laboratories under the jurisdiction of such ,armed ,force-- 7,a7 to adopt internal standard operating procedures for quantum information science workforce development to monitor and evaluate progress toward human capital goals and human capital programmatic results2 and 7,b7 to involve top management1 employees1 and other stakeholders in quantum information science workforce planning by-- 7i7 developing and implementing an enterprise-wide strategic quantum workforce plan2 and 7ii7 communicating quantum workforce goals1 initiatives1 and metrics for evaluating success throughout each laboratory4 7g7 ,budget review 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall1 acting through the ,under ,secretary of ,defense 7,comptroller71 require the ,secretaries of the military departments and the heads of the ,defense ,agencies with responsibilities associated with any quantum information science activity to transmit the proposed budget for such activities for a fiscal year and for the period covered by the future-years defense program submitted to ,congress under section #bba of this title for that fiscal year to the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor for review before submitting the proposed budget to the ,under ,secretary of ,defense 7,comptroller74 7#b7 ,report to ,secretary ,the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor shall review each proposed budget transmitted1 and1 not later than ,january #ca of the year preceding the fiscal year for which the budget is proposed1 shall submit to the ,secretary a report containing the comments of the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor with respect to all such proposed budgets1 together with the certification of the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor regarding whether each proposed budget is adequate4 7#c7 ,report to ,congress ,not later than ,march #ca of each year1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to ,congress a report specifying each proposed budget that the ,principal ,quantum ,advisor did not certify to be adequate4 ,the report of the ,secretary shall include the following matters3 7,a7 ,a discussion of the actions that the ,secretary proposes to take1 together with any recommended legislation that the ,secretary considers appropriate1 to address the inadequacy of the proposed budgets specified in the report4 7,b7 ,any additional comments that the ,secretary considers appropriate regarding the inadequacy of the proposed budgets4 7h7 ,definitions ,in this section2 7#a7 ,the term ,five ,eyes countries means the following3 7,a7 ,australia4 7,b7 ,canada4 7,c7 ,new ,zealand4 7,d7 ,the ,united ,kingdom4 7,e7 ,the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,the term quantum information science means the use of the laws of quantum physics for the storage1 transmission1 manipulation1 computing1 or measurement of information4 4