Sponsor
Donald J. Bacon
Representative · R-NE
The bill raises assurance, standardization, and transparency for DoD quantum systems but trades faster deployment and lower costs for stricter validation processes and concentrated waiver authority.
Service members and DoD missions will receive higher-assurance quantum systems because the bill requires validation and verification, reducing the risk of fielding untested or insecure capabilities.
Researchers and defense contractors will have clearer standards and a predictable validation process, helping R&D align with DARPA benchmarking and accelerating interoperable development.
Congress and taxpayers will get faster transparency and oversight because the Secretary must notify congressional defense committees within 15 days when granting waivers.
Military personnel may face delayed access to new quantum capabilities because the validation and verification requirement can slow development and acquisition.
Taxpayers and defense contractors may incur higher program costs because compliance with the new validation and testing processes adds testing, validation, and administrative expenses.
Military personnel and federal employees may experience uneven application of standards or temporary bypasses if the Secretary frequently uses centralized waiver authority, weakening consistency.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires DoD to adopt, within 180 days, a definition and validation/verification policy for quantum computing systems and bars development/acquisition without validation unless waived.
Representative · R-NE
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a policy to guide the development and acquisition of quantum computing systems for the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 17, 2026 by Donald J. Bacon · Last progress September 17, 2026
Requires the Department of Defense to issue a policy within 180 days that defines "quantum computing system," sets a validation and verification process, and ties DoD development and acquisition to DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. After the policy is issued, DoD components may not develop or acquire quantum computing systems unless those systems are validated and verified under the new policy, except when the Secretary grants a written waiver to congressional defense committees within 15 days with justification. The law is procedural and prescriptive for DoD practices: it does not appropriate funds or create new programs, but it conditions DoD development and procurement on adherence to the specified validation standards and reporting requirements for waivers.