On September 29, 2026, NATO officially released its Quantum Technology Roadmap. This framework builds upon the inaugural NATO Quantum Strategy released in 2024, providing an actionable blueprint to systematically transition of quantum technologies into operational deployment across land, air, sea, cyber and space domains.
For defence decision-makers, industrial leaders and deep-tech innovators across Allied nations, the publication of this roadmap underscores a clear imperative: maintaining technological superiority requires clear adoption pathways, robust dual-use industrial capacity and standardisation across Allied forces.
Aim of the Roadmap
The primary aim of NATO’s Quantum Technology Roadmap is to make NATO and Allied armed forces “quantum-ready” by establishing a synchronised, Alliance-wide transition plan.
- Accelerate Adoption & Capability Development: Shorten the timeline between technological breakthroughs in quantum physics and their practical deployment in military operations.
- Ensure Operational Freedom of Action: Secure critical command, control and communication networks against quantum-enabled adversarial capabilities.
- Drive Interoperability & Harmonised Standards: Prevent fragmentation across Allied military architectures by aligning testing, validation and standardisation protocols.
- Protect the Allied Ecosystem: Safeguard intellectual property, critical supply chains and sovereign industrial capacity from strategic competitors and unauthorised technological leakage.
Scope of the Roadmap: Technologies, Governance and Phased Execution
The scope of the roadmap encompasses the entire lifecycle of quantum technologies, spanning research and prototyping to full-scale acquisition and cross-domain operational integration.
Technology Domains
- Quantum Sensing & Metrology (PNT): Deploying high-precision sensors and atomic clocks to enable accurate position, navigation and timing in GPS-denied, underwater or electronic warfare environments.
- Quantum Communications & Safe Cryptography: Securing military communication channels through the rapid adoption of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and quantum-resistant network architectures.
- Quantum Computing & Simulation: Utilising advanced computational systems for complex logistics, tactical simulation, materials science and situational awareness optimisation.
Execution & Governance Scope
- Phased Lines of Effort (LoE): The roadmap structures activities into adaptive phases, from identification and experimentation through pilot evaluations to operational adoption. Key milestones include regular prototyping, ongoing ACT Innovation Continuum evaluations and initial comparative assessments beginning in 2027.
- Institutional Coordination: Implementation is distributed across key NATO entities:
- Allied Command Transformation (ACT): Lead for use case identification, experimentation and operational piloting.
- Allied Command Operations (ACO): Defining operational requirements that drive procurement and force integration.
- Science and Technology Organisation (STO) & NCIA: Conducting research, field trials and establishing an Alliance-wide Quantum Standards Roadmap by 2029.
- NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community (TQC): Facilitating structured alignment between national authorities, researchers and the defence industry.
Complementary Efforts: QBN WG QDS
While institutional bodies like NATO shape high-level doctrines and capability architectures, the commercialisation, industrial capacity and supply chain resilience required to deliver these systems rely on a strong European and transatlantic industrial base.
To support this bridge between defence requirements and dual-use technological availability, the QBN Working Group Quantum Technologies for Defence & Security (WG QDS) operates as a high-trust, triple-helix platform bringing together ministries of defence, military stakeholders, prime integrators and leading quantum innovators.
Focus Areas of WG QDS:
- Requirement Translation: Mapping real-world defence needs onto existing and emerging quantum hardware and software capabilities.
- Interoperability & Deployment: Defining structured adoption roadmaps to address procurement bottlenecks, field testing, supply chain security and dual-use scalability.
- Institutional Alignment: Maintaining long-term strategic engagement with NATO and relevant Ministries of Defence across Allied nations.
As an active member of the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community Industry Network (NATO TQC IN), QBN ensures that the industrial expertise, supply chain realities and scaling challenges of commercial quantum developers directly inform sovereign security objectives and Alliance-wide adoption strategies.
Further Reading
To explore how defence spend targets, strategic partnerships and innovation initiatives intersect with the European and transatlantic quantum ecosystem, explore our related coverage:
- NATO Releases Quantum Technology Roadmap (Official NATO Text)
- NATO Releases News Announcement on the Quantum Technology Roadmap
- NATO Strategy for Quantum Technologies (Initial Strategy)
- QBN Helps Accelerate Quantum Readiness for Defence at NATO DIANA / German Defence Innovation Day
- Key Insights from the NATO Summit in Ankara: Decisions That Matter for Quantum and Deep Tech
- NATO Rapid Action & 5% Defence Spending Plan: Accelerating Commercialisation and Adoption
- Bridging the Gap to Tomorrow’s Defence Needs: QBN Presents at BWI Industry Days
