For the last two years with Invictus I have been tasked by the DIA CTO to lead their Quantum Technology exploitation. My focus is on winning the great quantum race with China, and to that end I am co-authoring a book entitled Winning the Quantum Race, that is to be published by NI Press later this year.
This book is intended to inform DOD/IC and NATO/FVEY decision-makers, on what quantum is, what’s being done, and how to accelerate progress. My day job is the Quantum Lead for DIA/CIO/CTO, and after hours I volunteer for the Quantum Science Organization (QSO).
| My goals are to help the US and Partners become: | ||
| 1. | Quantum Secure by 2024 | |
| 2. | Quantum Ready by 2030 | |
| 3. | Quantum Advantage by 2035 | |
| A core of QSO is the Quantum Metascience Initiative (QMI) project to develop a Quantum Ontology and requisite mathematics and physics ontologies (currently in-progress). If all goes to plan the QMI will one day help turn the tide the US and Partners in the great Quantum Race with China, by: | ||
| a. | improving communication between the quantum scientists, engineers and stakeholders, and | |
| b. | improving the efficiency and effectiveness of quantum research and development investment, in attempt to offset the current 10-to-1 China advantage. | |
As for my background, I am an information technologist focused on information systems, AI machine learning, quantum information science (quantum mechanics on quantum hardware), and systems/cloud engineering. I have consulted in and/or advanced information technology for most of the DOD/IC agencies. Dr. Barry Smith and I initiated the Semantic Technologies for Intelligence, Defense and Security (STIDS) in 2009. It grew to become a well-attended international symposium hosted by George Mason University over the span of about 10 years. Today that initiative is under the Defense Intelligence Ontology Working Group (DIOWG) and it is endorsed by most of the CIOs. The QSO’s ontology initiative was briefed at DIOWG last year, and Dr. Forest Hare presented DICO at that DIA’s Technical Leadership Council meeting on March 1st of this year.
I have helped the National Intelligence University (NIU) initiate Quantum Cohorts with various objectives. The first is the Quantum Research Cohort series in collaboration with QSO’s Quantum Metascience Initiative (QMI). The objective of QMI research and development is to accelerate progress in the Quantum Race. This also helps train the next generation of quantum leaders for DOD/IC.
I feel that within my role at Invictus, we could potentially help with the migrations of networks and data to quantum safe encryption (QSE), piloting of quantum communications networks, quantum key distribution, and other potential opportunities for fielding quantum technologies as they become available. There is much work to be done in achieving the goals to become Quantum Secure by 2024 and to ensure that all stored data be migrated to post quantum cryptography to be Quantum Read by 2030. To do that the workforce needs to be trained, and quantum technologies and respective use cases need to are being well-managed and prioritized by highest-impacts and technology readiness levels, for piloting within respective DOD/IC missions; like satellite to ground communications and sensing, in order to have a Quantum Advantage by 2035. Quantum Advantage is defined here as quantum computer being able to solve a DOC/IC computing problem that the largest supercomputer cannot solve in a reasonable amount of time.
I am not a lone wolf in the wilderness, but I hope to create a groundswell of support with government, industry, and academia so that all of them will consider investing in quantum computing to ultimately protect this Nation against an adversary who cannot and should not be underestimated. One day, I hope that QSO will help accelerate and achieve this vision and I can help companies like Invictus to continue to take a leadership role in accelerating these technological changes.
Invictus plans to expand our Quantum technology team in the next year, so if you are interested in joining our team or are a customer interested in getting support in this critical area of future technologies, please contact us.