The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has big plans for quantum technology next year, with a top agency official saying Tuesday that the agency is “hitting that sweet spot” in its progress toward quantum readiness.
In the new year, the agency tasked with securing the nation’s borders will be moving forward with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) project, Ed Mays, deputy assistant commissioner for infrastructure and support services and chief enterprise infrastructure officer, said while speaking at the SAP Public Sector Summit in Washington.
Mays said that CBP began its PQC work a couple of years ago in partnership with other agencies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He said that work is paying off, and CPB is “going to be delivering a lot on that in [2026].”
“We need to be the most ready when the nation is the least ready, because most people in their daily lives aren’t thinking [about] this really bad thing that’s coming my way … that’s going to cause really big problems for our critical infrastructure,” Mays explained.
“And so, we took that as a mantle … and I’m hoping that it’s going to pay off in a few years in a way that most people won’t understand, right until it happens,” he added.
While he didn’t provide many details on what exactly the agency will be delivering on, Mays noted that CBP is specifically working to defend against attempts to harvest data now and later decrypt once quantum capabilities become available. “We’re going to try and get to that point where you won’t be able to harvest,” Mays explained.
Quantum investments overall have been a top priority for CBP for some time, Mays said, noting that beyond PQC, the agency has also been interested in using quantum to support its operations.
In the next few weeks, Mays said that CBP will gain access to a quantum computer that can help with “some optimization development with some companies.”
For example, he said CBP is exploring quantum optimization to improve communications tower placement so that the agency can exchange data more efficiently with its officers and agents on the ground.
While he didn’t specify whether it’s quantum-related or not, Mays said that the agency is also planning to introduce a new communications-related technology soon that will move CBP from traditional, flat network planning to three-dimensional analysis to improve line-of-sight communications.
All of these efforts are meant to shift what Mays described as the government’s years-long and slow “evolutionary change” to a faster approach.
“We have to be in the revolutionary mood, moving us quickly from where we are to where we need to be, because our adversaries that are out there,” Mays said about CBP’s work on quantum. “They don’t play by the same rules – whether it’s a cartel or a nation state adversary – and they’re moving fast.”