Draft executive order would set deadlines for digital signature and key quantum encryption
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The developing order on post-quantum cryptography sets rigid deadlines for quantum-resistant cryptography updates, underscoring that contractors need to migrate to certain standards by 2030.
The White House is preparing a new executive order aiming to spur federal agency migration to a post-quantum cryptographic standard under particular deadlines, as well as requiring covered contractors to take similar steps within the same window.
A person familiar with the draft order told Nextgov/FCW that the current version tasks the Office of Management and Budget with issuing guidance and deadlines for transitioning high-impact systems to encryption standards intended to withstand code-breaking powered by an eventual fully operational quantum computer. The person confirmed that all agencies must migrate their high-value assets, apart from national security systems.
The draft document would require all agencies to transition their digital signatures for high-impact systems and high-value assets to a PQC standard by Dec. 31, 2031, and to use post-quantum cryptography for key establishment by Dec. 31, 2030, according to sections viewed by Nextgov/FCW.
Digital signatures are software tools that authenticate user identity for secure access into digital environments. Key establishment is the process of securing data by generating a unique digital code, or a cryptographic key, for specific parties to provide them secure access. Key establishment and exchange allows the parties to then securely encrypt and decrypt data. Many current versions of both digital signatures and key encryption are expected to be overpowered by the decryption abilities of a future cryptographically-relevant quantum computer.
The draft order also gives “covered contractors” working with federal agencies a 2030 deadline to comply with the PQC standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the person familiar said, noting that the document is expected to be released sometime this week.
The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
In February, Nextgov/FCW exclusively reported that the White House was developing a quantum-focused executive order focused on spurring U.S. leadership in quantum-powered systems.
That draft didn’t include PQC migration efforts, and the person familiar with the current draft’s development told Nextgov/FCW that elements included in the older draft — namely setting up a new initiative to leverage quantum computing for scientific discovery and updating the National Quantum Strategy — are not included in the PQC-focused order, suggesting the possibility of multiple quantum technology-focused executive items.
PQC has emerged as a newly critical element to cybersecurity, as the arrival of a future fault-tolerant quantum computer threatens the defensive encryption classical computing has relied upon for decades.
The 2030 deadline has long been floated as optimal to support comprehensive migrations to robust PQC standards. In 2022, the National Security Agency issued quantum-resistant algorithm requirements specifically for national security systems. The guidance recommends software and firmware signing and traditional and niche networking equipment migrate to a PQC standard by 2030.
The exclusion of national security systems from mandatory migration efforts in the latest potential PQC executive action follows a December 2024 NSA FAQ stating that the agency intends for all national security systems to be quantum-resistant by 2035, “with the hope of completing much of the transition sooner.”
A draft memorandum developed by the Office of Management and Budget last summer and seen by Nextgov/FCW aimed to spur PQC migration efforts within the federal government by conducting inventories of high-risk network assets and asking vendors to disclose their PQC migration timelines.
President Donald Trump has consistently prioritized the advancement of both PQC and quantum information and sciences research writ large, beginning with signing the National Quantum Initiative Act during his first term in 2018.
The White House’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget also includes a provision that the federal budget “maintains funding for research in artificial intelligence and quantum information science at key agencies.”