A draft executive order titled “Ushering In The Next Frontier Of Quantum Innovation” was reported on February 3, 2026, by Nextgov/FCW, which obtained a copy of the draft document. The order would establish a whole-of-government approach to quantum information science and technology (QIST), assigning a central coordinating role to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
The draft directs OSTP and the departments of Commerce, Energy, and Defense, working with ODNI, NSF, and relevant NSTC subcommittees, to produce an updated National Quantum Strategy within 180 days of signing. Within 30 days of the strategy’s completion, relevant agencies would be required to report to OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget on implementation plans. The order would also create a national effort to achieve a quantum computer for scientific applications and discovery (QCSAD), with at least one system housed at a Department of Energy facility.
At the 180-day mark, the OSTP director would reconstitute the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC), which expired in 2023 after Congress failed to reauthorize the National Quantum Initiative Act. On workforce development, NSF would begin building a network of National QIST Education and Teaching Institutes, and the Department of Labor would partner with NSF to track workforce statistics. The FBI would be tasked with expanding its Quantum Information Science and Technology Counterintelligence Protection Team.
The draft treats international partnerships as a strategic priority, directing Commerce, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Trade Representative to identify foreign trade barriers limiting U.S. competitiveness in quantum technologies. Post-quantum cryptography provisions were absent from the draft, and neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were mentioned. The order had not been formally signed as of the date of the report.