The White House announced President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that would protect American data, and the digital economy that lives off of it.
Trump’s “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” Executive Order directs the Office of Management and Budget and the National Cyber Director to lead an accelerated, nationwide migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The move comes on the same day Trump announced an executive order to “to supercharge U.S. innovation in quantum technologies and strengthen our national security in this critical area.”
The White House said the order securing the nation’s data against cryptographic attacks would help the nation’s data stay secure as quantum technology evolves.
The executive order also directs the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, as well as the National Security Agency, to deliver clear guidance to agencies on accelerating the PQC migration and to direct agencies to designate a PQC migration lead to transition high value assets for certain uses by PQC by 2030/2031. The Commerce Department is also tasked with initiating a pilot project for PQC migration to be completed by Dec. 31, 2027.
Further, the EO directs the U.S. State Department and other federal agencies to assist and encourage critical infrastructure operators, foreign governments and foreign industry groups to transition to PQC, while directing the OMB, the Department of War, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the General Services Administration to coordinate efforts to identify cost-saving opportunities in the national PQC migration strategy.
“President Trump is promoting a key technology that will protect American systems in the quantum era, ensuring defense and resilience against potential disruptions to critical systems or data breaches,” the White House said.