Quantum networking is an underappreciated but potentially consequential dimension of U.S.-China quantum competition. If successfully developed, quantum networking could scale quantum computers into more powerful machines, enhance sensor precision, and support secure communications. But while some applications may materialize in the nearer term, others remain speculative or face strong classical alternatives. China has built the world’s most extensive quantum communications infrastructure, but its utility remains limited and does not automatically extend to next-generation applications in computing or sensing. A clear understanding of the strategic value and likely maturity timelines of different applications will be essential to guiding U.S. policy and sustaining leadership where it matters most.

The Center for a New American Security will hold a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday, June 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET on the future of U.S. quantum networking policy. Panelists will examine the national and economic security stakes of different quantum networking applications, compare U.S. and Chinese approaches and progress, and discuss the policy choices most likely to strengthen U.S. leadership in the field.

The event also marks the release of a recent CNAS report, The Entanglement Edge: U.S. Strategic Priorities in Quantum Networking, by CNAS Technology and National Security Program Fellow Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante and former Research Assistant Morgan Peirce.