[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7935 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7935

To direct the Secretary of Defense to accelerate the implementation of 
   quantum information science technologies within the Department of 
                    Defense, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2024

 Ms. Stefanik introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to accelerate the implementation of 
   quantum information science technologies within the Department of 
                    Defense, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Defense Quantum Acceleration Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. JOINT QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE DEFENSE TRANSITION 
              ACTIVITIES.

    Chapter 301 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after section 4001 the following new section:
``Sec. 4002. Joint quantum information science defense transition 
              activities
    ``(a) Activities Required.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish 
        a set of activities to accelerate the adoption and 
        implementation quantum information science (hereafter referred 
        to `QIS') technology within the Department of Defense.
            ``(2) Elements.--Pursuant to the activities established 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary, acting through the 
        Principal Quantum Advisor designated under subsection (b), 
        shall--
                    ``(A) explore and identify QIS technologies that--
                            ``(i) have demonstrated value in advancing 
                        the priorities and missions of the Department; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) may be applied to address 
                        operational problems;
                    ``(B) develop plans to transition such QIS 
                technologies from the research and development phase to 
                operational use within the Department, including within 
                each of the Armed Forces; and
                    ``(C) carry out such transition plans.
    ``(b) Designation of Principal Quantum Advisor.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        designate a senior official of the Department of Defense to 
        serve as the Principal Quantum Advisor for the Department.
            ``(2) Responsibilities.--The Principal Quantum Advisor 
        shall serve as the official within the Department of Defense 
        with principal responsibility for--
                    ``(A) coordinating activities relating to the 
                accelerated demonstration and transition of QIS 
                technologies for applications specific to operational 
                challenges faced by the Department;
                    ``(B) coordinating, overseeing, and managing the 
                set of activities established under subsection (a);
                    ``(C) carrying out the activities described in 
                paragraphs (3) through (6); and
                    ``(D) carrying out such other duties related to the 
                development and implementation of QIS technologies as 
                the Secretary may direct.
            ``(3) Defining and codifying defense qis use cases.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Principal Quantum Advisor 
                shall--
                            ``(i) identify operational challenges faced 
                        by the Department of Defense that have the 
                        potential to be addressed through the use of 
                        QIS-technology based solutions, including 
                        solutions based on the QIS technology areas 
                        described subparagraph (C);
                            ``(ii) for each such challenge, determine 
                        if the implementation of a QIS technology-based 
                        solution has the potential to be significantly 
                        more effective at addressing such challenge 
                        compared to a non-QIS technology-based 
                        solution, taking into account the technology 
                        and manufacturing readiness level of the QIS 
                        technology-based solution;
                            ``(iii) for each potential QIS technology-
                        based solution identified under clause (ii), 
                        evaluate and determine the technology and 
                        manufacturing readiness level of the solution 
                        taking into account the current readiness level 
                        of such solution--
                                    ``(I) within the Department;
                                    ``(II) among other departments and 
                                agencies of the Federal Government;
                                    ``(III) among Five Eyes countries; 
                                and
                                    ``(IV) within academia and 
                                industry.
                            ``(iv) for each QIS technology-based 
                        solution determined under clause (iii) to have 
                        a technology and manufacturing readiness level 
                        of 5 or higher, begin prototyping and 
                        evaluation activities of such solution at scale 
                        in operationally relevant environments by not 
                        later than the end of fiscal year 2025; and
                            ``(v) for each QIS technology-based 
                        solution determined under clause (iii) to have 
                        a technology and manufacturing readiness level 
                        of 4 or lower, submit to Congress a plan for 
                        funding such solution over the period of five 
                        fiscal years following the date of the report 
                        using research, development, test, and 
                        evaluation funds designated as budget activity 
                        1 (basic research), budget activity 2 (applied 
                        research), budget activity 3 (advanced 
                        technology development), or budget activity 4 
                        (advanced component development and prototypes) 
                        as those budget activity classifications are 
                        set forth in volume 2B, chapter 5 of the 
                        Department of Defense Financial Management 
                        Regulation (DOD 7000.14-R).
                    ``(B) Coordination.--In carrying out this 
                paragraph, the Principal Quantum Advisor shall 
                coordinate with and seek input from the Armed Forces 
                and unified combatant commands--
                            ``(i) to identify and better understand the 
                        operational requirements of such Armed Forces 
                        and commands; and
                            ``(ii) to ensure that the timeline for 
                        transitioning any QIS technology-based 
                        capability to operational use within the Armed 
                        Forces and combatant commands aligns with--
                                    ``(I) the plans of such Forces and 
                                commands across the period covered by 
                                the future-years defense program; and
                                    ``(II) the program objective 
                                memorandum processes for such Forces 
                                and commands.
                    ``(C) QIS technology areas described.--The QIS 
                technology areas described in this subparagraph are the 
                following:
                            ``(i) Quantum sensing, including--
                                    ``(I) alternative precision 
                                navigation and timing;
                                    ``(II) undersea or underground 
                                detection;
                                    ``(III) advanced intelligence, 
                                surveillance, and reconnaissance 
                                quantum imaging techniques; and
                                    ``(IV) biomedical and health care.
                            ``(ii) Quantum computing, including--
                                    ``(I) annealing;
                                    ``(II) quantum-enabled machine 
                                learning;
                                    ``(III) simulation and 
                                optimization; and
                                    ``(IV) integrating quantum and 
                                classical computing.
                            ``(iii) Quantum annealing.
                            ``(iv) Quantum Communications and 
                        networking.
                            ``(v) Quantum-enabled modeling and 
                        simulation.
                            ``(vi) Hybrid quantum computing and the 
                        integration of quantum and classical computing 
                        components.
            ``(4) Acceleration of development and fielding of qis 
        technologies.--The Principal Quantum Advisor shall--
                    ``(A) use the flexibility of regulations, 
                personnel, acquisition, partnerships with industry and 
                academia, or other relevant policies of the Department 
                to accelerate the transition and fielding of QIS 
                technologies;
                    ``(B) ensure engagement with combatant commands, 
                defense and private industries, research universities, 
                and unaffiliated, nonprofit research institutions on 
                matters relating such QIS technologies; and
                    ``(C) provide technical advice and support 
                organizations and elements of the Department of 
                Defense, including the Armed Forces, to optimize the 
                use of QIS technologies to meet mission requirements.
            ``(5) Industry and academia engagement.--
                    ``(A) Inclusion in consortium.--The Secretary of 
                Defense, in coordination with the Director of the 
                National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall 
                ensure that the Principal Quantum Advisor is included 
                in the activities of the Quantum Economic Development 
                Consortium established under section 201(b) of the 
                National Quantum Initiative Act (Public Law 115-368; 15 
                U.S.C. 8831(b)).
                    ``(B) Outreach activities.--On a quarterly basis, 
                the Principal Quantum Advisor shall conduct outreach 
                and engagement with industry and academic leaders--
                            ``(i) to educate organizations in the QIS 
                        industrial base on national security QIS use 
                        cases and operational challenges faced by the 
                        Department that have the potential to be 
                        addressed through the use of QIS technology-
                        based solutions as described in paragraph (3);
                            ``(ii) to the extent determined appropriate 
                        by the Principal Quantum Advisor, provide 
                        industry with the opportunity to identify QIS 
                        technology-based solutions to operational 
                        challenges faced by the Department;
                            ``(iii) educate organizations in the 
                        Defense industrial base on near-term and 
                        commercially available QIS technology-based 
                        solutions that provide operationally relevant 
                        warfighting capabilities;
                            ``(iv) advance relevant QIS supply chains 
                        and manufacturing capabilities within the 
                        United States and among allies and partners of 
                        the United States; and
                            ``(v) facilitate the commercialization of 
                        QIS technology-based solutions developed by the 
                        research and engineering organizations of the 
                        Department of Defense for purposes of 
                        prototyping and transitioning such technologies 
                        into operational use.
            ``(6) Allied quantum enhancement.--
                    ``(A) Alignment with aukus efforts.--Based on the 
                QIS use cases identified under paragraph (3)(A)(ii), 
                the Principal Quantum Advisor shall--
                            ``(i) identify areas in which the United 
                        Kingdom and Australia, pursuant to Pillar II 
                        the partnership among Australia, the United 
                        Kingdom, and the United States (commonly known 
                        as `AUKUS' ) are pursuing technology aligned 
                        with such use cases; and
                            ``(ii) align Department research and 
                        development and procurement funding in relation 
                        to QIS technologies on accelerating 
                        opportunities where Australia and the United 
                        Kingdom are pursuing such technologies.
                    ``(B) Multilateral aukus and nato meetings.--The 
                Principal Quantum Advisor shall organize--
                            ``(i) a recurring multilateral meeting of 
                        quantum technology experts from the United 
                        States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to 
                        facilitate information-sharing and planning 
                        relevant to QIS technology and defense-specific 
                        use cases for such technology; and
                            ``(ii) a recurring multilateral meeting of 
                        quantum technology experts from member nations 
                        of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to 
                        facilitate such information-sharing and 
                        planning.
    ``(c) Strategic Plan.--
            ``(1) Plan required.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
        develop strategic plan to guide the development, assessment, 
        procurement, and implementation of QIS technologies within the 
        Department of Defense over the period of five years following 
        the date of the plan.
            ``(2) Elements.--The plan required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    ``(A) Plans for the continuous evaluation, 
                development, and implementation of QIS technology 
                solutions within the Department.
                    ``(B) Plans for the development, review, 
                performance evaluation, and adoption of a fault-
                tolerant, utility-scale quantum computer and the 
                transition of that capability to appropriate 
                organizations and elements of the Department of 
                Defense, including the Armed Forces, and such other 
                departments and agencies of the Federal Government as 
                the Secretary determines appropriate.
                    ``(C) Plans for allocating the resources of the 
                Department to ensure such resources are focused on QIS 
                technologies with the potential to solve operational 
                challenges.
                    ``(D) Identification of QIS technologies that--
                            ``(i) have critical defense-specific 
                        applications;
                            ``(ii) cannot be adapted from commercially 
                        available QIS technology; and
                            ``(iii) are unlikely to be pursued or 
                        accelerated by industry because of limited 
                        commercial value.
                    ``(E) Plans for supporting the development of 
                capabilities identified under subparagraph (D).
                    ``(F) An assessment of the QIS supply chain, 
                including assessment of--
                            ``(i) any associated strengths, weaknesses, 
                        opportunities and threats; and
                            ``(ii) critical components, suppliers, and 
                        single points of failure.
            ``(3) Report to congress.--Not later than one year after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
        shall submit to Congress a report that includes the plan 
        developed under paragraph (1).
    ``(d) Commercial Security Strategy.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
adopt a comprehensive security strategy for commercially developed 
capabilities based on the guide utilized in the Underexplored Systems 
for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program of the Defense Advanced 
Research Projects Agency.
    ``(e) National Security QIS Adoption Acceleration Testbed.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish a 
        national defense quantum information science joint center of 
        excellence (referred to in this section as the `Center').
            ``(2) Organization.--The Center shall be operated by the 
        Secretary of Defense and shall include participation from the 
        following organizations:
                    ``(A) One or more research laboratories of the 
                Armed Forces.
                    ``(B) A Department of Energy national laboratory.
                    ``(C) A federally funded research and development 
                center or a university-affiliated research center.
            ``(3) Location.--The Secretary shall establish the Center 
        at a location in the United States that is reasonably 
        accessible to each organization described in paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Activities.--The Center shall carry out the following 
        activities:
                    ``(A) Facilitate QIS technology transition and 
                workforce development activities.
                    ``(B) Conduct outreach to enhance industry and 
                academia's understanding of national security QIS 
                technology use cases and current operational challenges 
                faced by the Department.
                    ``(C) Prototype QIS technologies, with priority 
                given to the prototyping and transition of QIS-enabled 
                position, navigation, and timing efforts and quantum 
                sensors at technology readiness level six or higher.
                    ``(D) Integrate the prototyping activities under 
                subparagraph (C) with the needs of the unified 
                combatant commands.
                    ``(E) Accelerate the transition of advanced QIS 
                technology from the research and development phase into 
                operational use.
                    ``(F) Expand the QIS workforce of the United States 
                and the QIS workforces of nations that are allies and 
                partners of the United States.
            ``(5) Contract authority.--The Secretary may make grants 
        and enter into contracts and other agreements, on a competitive 
        basis, to support the activities of the Center.
            ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
    ``(f) Research Opportunities and Workforce Planning.--
            ``(1) Enhancement of research opportunities.--Not later 
        than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        Secretary of Defense shall seek to increase opportunities for 
        the study of QIS within--
                    ``(A) the military service academies.
                    ``(B) the Reserve Officers' Training Corps; and
                    ``(C) other institutions and programs of the 
                Department of Defense and the Armed Forces that provide 
                postsecondary and graduate level education.
            ``(2) Standard operating procedures.--The Secretary of 
        Defense shall direct the chief of each Armed Force, in 
        consultation with the heads of the research laboratories under 
        the jurisdiction of such Armed Force--
                    ``(A) to adopt internal standard operating 
                procedures for QIS workforce development to monitor and 
                evaluate progress toward human capital goals and human 
                capital programmatic results; and
                    ``(B) to involve top management, employees, and 
                other stakeholders in QIS workforce planning by--
                            ``(i) developing and implementing an 
                        enterprise-wide strategic quantum workforce 
                        plan; and
                            ``(ii) communicating quantum workforce 
                        goals, initiatives, and metrics for evaluating 
                        success throughout each laboratory.
    ``(g) Budget Review.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through 
        the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), shall require the 
        Secretaries of the military departments and the heads of the 
        Defense Agencies with responsibilities associated with any QIS 
        activity to transmit the proposed budget for such activities 
        for a fiscal year and for the period covered by the future-
        years defense program submitted to Congress under section 221 
        of title 10, United States Code, for that fiscal year to the 
        Principal Quantum Advisor for review before submitting the 
        proposed budget to the Under Secretary of Defense 
        (Comptroller).
            ``(2) Report to secretary.--The Principal Quantum Advisor 
        shall review each proposed budget transmitted, and, not later 
        than January 31 of the year preceding the fiscal year for which 
        the budget is proposed, shall submit to the Secretary of 
        Defense a report containing the comments of the Principal 
        Quantum Advisor with respect to all such proposed budgets, 
        together with the certification of the Principal Quantum 
        Advisor regarding whether each proposed budget is adequate.
            ``(3) Report to congress.--Not later than March 31 of each 
        year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a 
        report specifying each proposed budget that the Principal 
        Quantum Advisor did not certify to be adequate. The report of 
        the Secretary shall include the following matters:
                    ``(A) A discussion of the actions that the 
                Secretary proposes to take, together with any 
                recommended legislation that the Secretary considers 
                appropriate, to address the inadequacy of the proposed 
                budgets specified in the report.
                    ``(B) Any additional comments that the Secretary 
                considers appropriate regarding the inadequacy of the 
                proposed budgets.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `Five Eyes countries' means the following:
                    ``(A) Australia.
                    ``(B) Canada.
                    ``(C) New Zealand.
                    ``(D) The United Kingdom.
                    ``(E) The United States.
            ``(2) The term `quantum information science' or `QIS' means 
        the use of the laws of quantum physics for the storage, 
        transmission, manipulation, computing, or measurement of 
        information.''.
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