Five days ago, the National Security Agency moved the post-quantum clock forward. Beginning in 2027, new commercial National Security Systems are expected to support quantum-resistant algorithms, while legacy systems that cannot support them are to be phased out by 2030. President Donald Trump had already accelerated the broader federal transition through an executive order titled “Securing the nation against advanced cryptographic attacks.”

The Pentagon has its own deadline: systems must support post-quantum cryptography by the end of 2030 and use it by the end of 2031, subject to stated exceptions. Those are necessary targets. They are not, by themselves, a mission-readiness test.