The US Department of Defense is moving to integrate quantum computing technology and related hardware into military equipment, targeting applications such as intelligence collection, target identification, system synchronization, and operations without conventional navigation aids.

The Pentagon has launched Farseer, a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) project centered on advanced quantum sensors and atomic clocks. The July program aims to enhance assured positioning, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) across intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems.

The push for A-PNT solutions reflects longstanding concerns about the vulnerability of GPS-dependent systems to jamming and spoofing, particularly in contested environments where satellite signals can be disrupted.

Modern ISR systems require extremely precise clocks because data from multiple sensors must be accurately correlated. Synchronization is essential not only for communications but also for military operations across air, ground, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains.

DIU described the importance in a statement: "The invisible backbone of modern ISR is absolute precision timing and synchronization, which enables seamless sensor fusion, secure communications, and coordinated multi-domain effects."

Quantum Hardware for Greater Precision in a Smaller Footprint

Farseer seeks to overcome physical constraints without compromising the performance standards the military expects from its ISR equipment. Quantum sensors use quantum mechanical effects to detect minute changes in physical conditions, while advanced atomic clocks maintain far more precise time than many conventional alternatives.

A key priority for the Pentagon is achieving that performance without burdening aircraft, vehicles, ships, missiles, or other platforms with oversized hardware.

DIU said, "Quantum sensors and clocks are not beholden to the same fundamental limitations of classical systems, providing a path to simultaneously achieving both high sensitivity and low SWaP," referring to size, weight, and power.

Farseer is therefore less about constructing a single large-scale Pentagon quantum computer and more about embedding quantum-based timing and sensing capabilities throughout the military's existing network of machines.

These developments come amid a broader dispute in Washington over control of companies in the quantum hardware supply chain.

IonQ-SkyWater Acquisition Draws Pentagon-FTC Friction

A roughly $2 billion acquisition involving IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) and semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) recently triggered a disagreement between the Pentagon and the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC ultimately permitted IonQ to acquire SkyWater without the restrictions sought by a senior Defense Department official.

The dispute centered on access to SkyWater's manufacturing facilities. SkyWater is one of a small number of American companies capable of producing the specialized chips required by quantum computing firms. The limited domestic supply of such manufacturing capacity has been a recurring concern in US semiconductor policy, including under the CHIPS and Science Act framework designed to reduce reliance on foreign fabrication.

Pentagon research and engineering undersecretary Emil Michael urged FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson to require IonQ to guarantee that competing companies could continue ordering chips from SkyWater following the acquisition.

The vote took on unusual significance because the FTC had only two commissioners at the time. President Donald Trump dismissed two Democratic commissioners last year, and another Republican commissioner had already departed. Andrew Ferguson and Mark Meador ended up on opposing sides, leaving the agency deadlocked.

IonQ was subsequently able to complete the purchase on Friday without accepting the proposed conditions. The company stated the acquisition would "accelerate all quantum platforms across the industry."

IonQ and Sandia National Laboratories Expand National Security Collaboration

IonQ is also working directly with Sandia National Laboratories under a new memorandum of understanding focused on US national security. The agreement covers joint development of quantum computing and networking technology at New Mexico's Quantum Demonstration Facility, a site where government researchers and private companies collaborate on new systems.

The collaboration reflects a broader pattern of government-industry partnerships in quantum technology, an area where the US competes with other nations including China, which has made substantial state-funded investments in quantum research and deployed quantum communications satellites.

IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi said, "Big breakthroughs often happen when government and industry work together." He added that such partnerships "could help shape the future of quantum technology and play an important role in our economic and national security." (IonQ investor announcement)

The two organizations have a prior working relationship. Sandia previously manufactured the ion traps used in IonQ's earliest machines. Under the new agreement, the collaboration will extend to co-designing future quantum technology rather than being limited to producing individual components.

In 2025, IonQ announced it had achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, a metric reflecting the precision of two-qubit quantum operations. The closer the value approaches 100%, the fewer computational errors occur.

IonQ has reported that users of its technology have recorded performance up to 20 times higher than earlier quantum systems. Organizations working with IonQ hardware include Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) through Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN), and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA).

Sandia and IonQ are now bringing that same technology into joint national security development as the Pentagon broadens its adoption of quantum sensors, clocks, chips, and computing hardware.