China's Military Bets on Quantum Tech to Win Future Wars: Pentagon

A new Pentagon report warns that China's military is making quantum technology a top research priority. Beijing believes these advances could decide future conflicts. Quantum technology uses the unusual physics of very small particles. China's focus includes sensing, computing, and secure communication. Quantum sensors could make submarines much harder to track. Quantum computers might break current encryption codes. Quantum communication could create networks that are impossible to hack. The report states China has a "whole-of-nation" strategy. This means military, academic, and private sectors all work together on quantum research. The goal is to achieve a technological edge over rivals. U.S. defense officials see China's progress as a significant challenge. They say it threatens to change the balance of military power.