The Pentagon is developing autonomous systems like drones and uncrewed vessels on a cryptographic foundation vulnerable to future quantum computers, posing an immediate "harvest now, decrypt later" threat where adversaries can store encrypted data today for retroactive decryption by the 2030s. This is particularly critical for autonomous weapons, as compromised cryptography not only exposes secrets but also dissolves the chain of authority, potentially allowing adversaries to forge authentication and issue orders to hijacked systems.
While the U.S. has initiated a response, including NIST's post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205) and NSA's CNSA 2.0 roadmap targeting full migration by 2035, this timeline is dangerously late for autonomous systems. These systems, defined by persistent software and cryptographic trust relationships, are being fielded now and will remain in service into the quantum threat window. The Department of Defense must mandate post-quantum cryptography as a design requirement for new autonomous systems, prioritize their command-and-control links in the CNSA 2.0 migration, and Congress should demand oversight on hardening efforts.
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