Preparing to implement sweeping new tariffs, the Trump administration should consider an under-appreciated victim of the trade wars: America’s quantum technology leadership. Without swift carveouts for critical quantum inputs and a domestic supply chain strategy, the United States risks surrendering a strategic edge that the first Trump administration worked hard to cultivate.

Quantum computers, sensors, and networks that harness subatomic physics could dramatically transform fields from drug discovery to resource exploration to communications. This might bring vast economic benefits and new battlefield and cyber capabilities to reshape global power. The long-awaited quantum revolution is underway: sensors are beginning to be adopted in military platforms for high-precision, resilient navigation amid GPS vulnerabilities, and several companies have unveiled computing breakthroughs. Major advances toward practical applications are expected within three to five years.