Mitch Herckis

Over the last few months, a number of large companies announced expedited timelines for transitioning to post-quantum cryptography. These announcements signaled a growing industry consensus that quantum computing research breakthroughs could lead to cracking long-standing encryption standards earlier than previously estimated. Now, the federal government is also shifting its timelines.

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of action from the White House, including the signing of the Executive Order “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security” and the accompanying National Security Presidential Memorandum, “Artificial Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise” (NSPM-11). Most of the commentary in Washington, D.C. and beyond has focused on the assessment of frontier AI model governance.

With the release of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-26-14 last month, the White House has continued its broader efforts to evolve federal cybersecurity decision-making from governmentwide edicts to frameworks that agencies are expected to tailor to unique needs.