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Congressional Daily Record
This section is about changes proposed to a bill or resolution. It mentions members such as Tammy Duckworth.
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June 23, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSA 5903. Ms. DUCKWORTH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following:
SEC. 225. STANDARDIZATION OF QUANTUM RADIO FREQUENCY SENSING
REQUIREMENTS FOR JOINT FORCE APPLICATIONS.
(a) Joint Requirements for Quantum Radio Frequency
Technology.—
(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for
Research and Engineering, in coordination with the
Secretaries of the military departments and the Chairman of
the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, shall establish
standardized joint requirements for quantum radio frequency
sensing technology for use across the joint force.
(2) Requirements content.—The requirements established
under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum—
(A) performance thresholds for ultra-wideband spectrum
sensing, including minimum frequency coverage from 1
megahertz through 12 gigahertz, with objective coverage
extending to 100 gigahertz;
(B) interoperability standards for integration with
existing electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and
tactical communications systems, including compatibility with
Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)
and Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) waveforms;
(C) size, weight, and power requirements for deployment on
ground vehicles, surface vessels, unmanned systems, and
manned aircraft platforms;
(D) performance specifications for operation in contested
and congested electromagnetic spectrum environments,
including resilience against electronic attack and
interference;
(E) interface standards enabling multi-channel simultaneous
reception across radar warning, communications intercept,
spectrum monitoring, and tactical communications functions;
and
(F) scalability requirements supporting miniaturization
through integrated photonics and photonic-integrated circuits
for future chip-scale implementations.
(b) Technology Development Roadmap.—Not later than 270
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under
Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall
update the Quantum Science Critical Technology Area roadmap
to include a dedicated section on quantum radio frequency
sensing technology that—
(1) incorporates the joint requirements established under
subsection (a);
(2) identifies near-term (0 to 2 years), mid-term (2 to 5
years), and far-term (5 to 10 years) development milestones
for quantum radio frequency sensing technology;
(3) specifies minimum investment levels required from each
military department to achieve roadmap milestones;
(4) identifies workforce requirements, including quantum
scientists, photonics engineers, and radio frequency systems
integrators;
(5) assesses the industrial base for quantum sensing
components, including domestic sources for rubidium or cesium
vapor cells, precision laser systems, and integrated
photonics; and
(6) establishes technology readiness-level transition gates
and criteria for advancement to acquisition programs of
record.
(c) Transition to Programs of Record.—
(1) Designation.—Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
designate a lead military department for the development and
acquisition of a joint quantum radio frequency sensing
system, in consultation with the Joint Requirements Oversight
Council.
(2) Program initiation.—The designated lead military
department shall initiate a program of record for a quantum
radio frequency sensing system not later than fiscal year
2029, subject to successful completion of—
(A) technology readiness assessment demonstrating
achievement of Technology Readiness Level 6 or higher for the
core Rydberg atomic sensing subsystem;
(B) operational assessment demonstrating interoperability
with joint force electronic warfare and communications
systems at a combatant command exercise or service-level
network modernization experiment; and
(C) independent cost estimate for production and lifecycle
costs across planned joint force platforms.
(d) Pilot Program for Quantum Radio Frequency
Integration.—
(1) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering shall establish a pilot program
to demonstrate integration of quantum radio frequency sensing
technology on operationally relevant platforms across at
least two military departments.
(2) Selection criteria.—Platforms selected for the pilot
program shall include at least one representative from each
of the following categories:
(A) Ground-based tactical vehicles or command posts.
(B) Naval surface vessels or submarines.
(C) Manned or unmanned aircraft.
(D) Fixed or deployable spectrum monitoring installations.
(3) Duration and funding.—
(A) Duration.—The pilot program shall have a duration of
not more than three years.
(B) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized
to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2028,
2029, and 2030 to carry out this subsection.
(e) Coordination With National Laboratories and Industry.—
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering,
in implementing this section, shall coordinate with—
(1) the National Institute of Standards and Technology, for
development of measurement standards and calibration
protocols for quantum radio frequency sensors;
(2) the Department of Energy National Laboratories,
including the National Quantum Initiative Quantum Computing
Research Centers, for fundamental research on Rydberg atomic
physics and integrated photonics;
(3) defense industrial base companies with demonstrated
capability in quantum sensing system integration and field
deployment, including those that have successfully completed
government evaluations of Rydberg-based RF receivers; and
(4) academic institutions with established quantum
information science and engineering programs.
(f) Reporting Requirements.—
(1) Initial report.—Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report that includes—
(A) the joint requirements established under subsection
(a);
(B) the updated technology roadmap under subsection (b);
(C) the designation of the lead military department under
subsection (c)(1);
(D) the status of the pilot program under subsection (d),
including platforms selected and initial integration
timelines; and
(E) an assessment of investment levels required from each
military department to achieve roadmap milestones.
(2) Annual updates.—Beginning in the year following
submission of the initial report under paragraph (1), and
annually thereafter through fiscal year 2032, the Under
Secretary shall include in the annual report on Critical
Technology Areas required under section 217(c) of the William
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283; 10 U.S.C. 4001 note) a
section specifically addressing quantum radio frequency
sensing technology, including progress against roadmap
milestones and transition to programs of record.
(g) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Integrated photonics.—The term “integrated
photonics” means photonic devices and circuits manufactured
on semiconductor or other wafer-scale substrates, enabling
miniaturization of optical components for quantum-sensing
applications.
(2) Quantum radio frequency sensing technology.—The term
“quantum radio frequency sensing technology” means radio
frequency detection and measurement systems that utilize
Rydberg atomic states, including highly excited atoms
exhibiting extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, to
convert radio frequency (RF) signals to the optical
domain for detection without traditional antennas or solid-
state analog receivers.
(3) Rydberg atomic states.—The term “Rydberg atomic
states”means electronic states of atoms with very high
principal quantum numbers, typically achieved by laser
excitation of alkali atoms such as rubidium or cesium, which
exhibit sensitivity to radio frequency electric fields.