Quantum Technology for Military Applications

TL;DR

Quantum technology offers transformative military capabilities, enhancing precision and effectiveness across various domains, necessitating new strategies, policies, and ethical considerations for future warfare.

Contribution

This report provides a comprehensive overview of quantum technologies' potential military applications, including their capabilities, challenges, and strategic implications.

Findings

Quantum technologies can significantly improve military precision and effectiveness.

Multiple warfare domains could benefit from quantum applications, such as cyber, space, and underwater warfare.

Estimates of development timelines for quantum military applications are provided.

Abstract

Quantum technology is an emergent and potentially disruptive discipline, with the ability to affect many human activities. Quantum technologies are dual-use technologies, and as such are of interest to the defence and security industry and military and governmental actors. This report reviews and maps the possible quantum technology military applications, serving as an entry point for international peace and security assessment, ethics research, military and governmental policy, strategy and decision making. Quantum technologies for military applications introduce new capabilities, improving effectiveness and increasing precision, thus leading to `quantum warfare', wherein new military strategies, doctrines, policies and ethics should be established. This report provides a basic overview of quantum technologies under development, also estimating the expected time scale of delivery or the utilisation impact. Particular military applications of quantum technology are described for various warfare domains (e.g. land, air, space, electronic, cyber and underwater warfare and ISTAR -- intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance), and related issues and challenges are articulated.