By Chuck Brooks, President of Brooks Consulting International
Every administration that comes to office brings with it contemporary issues to address in order to meet national security responsibilities and keep the U.S. at the forefront of the global economy. In 2025, we are in the initial stages of a technological revolution driven by emerging technologies and new capabilities. While there are many subjects to review, a few possibilities, each with their own threats, stand out for analysis and discussion: securing space systems, preparing for a quantum world, and harnessing the potential and risks of artificial intelligence are primary concerns.
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Space
Recently, the Space Infrastructure Act was introduced by the U.S. House of Representatives. The act requires the secretary of homeland security to assign space systems, services and technology to the category of essential infrastructure. The intention of the legislation is to enable the U.S. government to be able to detect and eliminate risks to a range of assets, such as digital systems, production facilities, ground infrastructure, satellites and spacecraft. The space industry would join other crucial industries including energy, healthcare, transportation and communications as the 17th industry to be declared as critical infrastructure if it is approved.
The legislation was introduced by Republican Congressman Ken Calvert of California and co-sponsored by Reps. Salud Carbajal, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ted Lieu (the Congressional Aerospace Caucus is co-chaired by Lieu and Calvert). According to Calvert, “the Space Infrastructure Act identifies our space systems as critical infrastructure and takes the necessary precautions to protect them … We must act appropriately to increase the safeguards that shield them from any potential threats, as our economy and critical communication systems become more and more dependent on the support of space-based systems and services.”
Satellite and space systems security are more crucial than ever because of our growing reliance on space, and especially satellites, for communications, security, intelligence and business.
The communication capabilities of our civilization are increasingly dependent on satellites. Countries rely more on space as a burgeoning and mission-critical frontier for surveillance and information exchange. With the use of satellites to transport data over great distances, many networks are now moving from terrestrial (land-based) communications to cloud-based communications.
By 2030, 25,000 satellites are expected to be launched, processing over 500,000 petabytes of data. This emphasizes the risks associated with this heightened vulnerability to the economy and data security. Government and business will need to prioritize security by safeguarding the frontier of space systems. Satellite launches have become more frequent in recent years.
There are dozens of satellites in low Earth orbit, a.k.a. LEO, right now, making them susceptible to both above- and below-ground intrusions. The ability of satellites to transmit data across long, global distances is causing many communication networks to switch from terrestrial to cloud-based communications. Today, there are more satellites in LEO than ever before because launch prices have drastically decreased. Because of this, there are now more targets for hackers to target, both in space and at control centers on Earth.
Cyber risk is a part of satellite systems. They also play a significant role in national security by monitoring geopolitical movements and adversary threats. In an effort to disrupt communications or information streams that are vital for trade and security, cyberattacks may target satellites. Our space cyber toolkit must include the newest technological solutions, well-implemented policies free from unfunded mandates, a robust workforce equipped to handle 21st-century space and cyber issues, appropriate procurement vehicles to swiftly onboard solutions and a solid understanding of our space cyber supply chain in order to counter these threats.
Quantum
As we progress beyond classical computing, a new data era known as quantum computing is starting to take shape. It is anticipated that quantum computing would transform AI and data analytics, advancing humanity more quickly than in the past. We will be able to solve some of the most challenging issues confronting humanity thanks to the speed and strength of quantum computing. Quantum computing is getting closer each month and is being applied in real-world scenarios.
Quantum computing will enable computers that can analyze massive amounts of data and carry out calculations at lightning speed. It will only take a few seconds to download libraries. Researchers are developing quantum computers, which might compute at extraordinarily high rates and enable entirely new types of analytics and cryptography.
In December 2018, President Trump signed the National Quantum Initiative Act into law. The purpose of the act was to assist the U.S. in retaining its position as a pioneer in quantum technologies, which have both commercial and military uses. In order to keep the U.S. one step ahead of its adversaries, the act also seeks to quicken the development of quantum technologies.
The program’s initial 2018 law has to be reauthorized because it ended in late 2023.
The National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Senators Todd Young, R-Ind., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would provide $2.7 billion in public financing through 2029 to support important research in quantum information science and technology, or QIST, domains.
The reauthorization attempts to equip federal agencies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation and NASA with additional offices and testbeds dedicated to QIST disciplines like computing, measurement and sensing, even though the bill’s primary goal is to extend the original National Quantum Initiative, which was started by President Donald Trump during his first term. Additionally, the program’s length would be extended from 2029 to 2035.
The breakout of quantum computing is a special concern for the U.S. defense and national security communities. Theoretically, quantum computing techniques will be so capable that they could break almost any encryption now in use. The majority of encryption algorithms used in digital communication are based on the 1977-invented RSA security architecture, which enables safe communication between two parties without requiring the prior exchange of secret keys. When quantum computing is fully established, scientists believe it might crack the code by using an exponential increase in calculating speed and complexity. The time of that occurrence is called Q-Day.
Since the National Security Agency manages cryptography modernization overall, based on standards being developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, developing particular quantum-hardened algorithms is under their purview.
The Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency is planning for expansion into the quantum computing area. About 200 quantum experts from various government agencies, including government-funded research facilities like Johns Hopkins and Energy Department labs like Los Alamos and Defense Department labs like the Air Force Research Laboratory, make up the DARPA program, which is termed the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, or QBI.
Since the private sector is already developing the technology on its own, QBI is not intended to compensate them for development. However, a company that receives a QBI award gains access to DARPA’s multi-agency staff of highly skilled testers.
QBI seeks to ascertain whether it is feasible to construct a quantum computer that is useful for industry at a significantly faster rate than is typically anticipated. In particular, QBI is intended to thoroughly examine and confirm if any quantum computing strategy can realize utility-scale operation by 2033.
Artificial Intelligence
President Trump announced the creation of a new multibillion-dollar project called Stargate to strengthen AI infrastructure in the U.S. as one of his first actions since taking office.
Initially contributing $100 billion, the three venture partners—Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank—will increase their investments over the next four years, potentially reaching $500 billion.
The president praised his involvement in making the initiative a reality and emphasized the need of making sure the U.S. is setting the standard for advancements in the quickly changing area rather than foreign rivals, particularly China.
The world has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of AI ever since the HAL 2000 computer and director Stanley Kubrick gave us a peek of AI’s autonomous ( and sinister) capacity for independent thought in the classic film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” We are currently on the verge of the emergence of AI, and it is no longer a subject reserved for science-fiction films.
AI-powered computers were primarily created for automation tasks including speech recognition, memory emulation, learning, planning and problem-solving. By prioritizing and acting upon data, AI technology can facilitate more effective decision-making, particularly in bigger networks with numerous users and factors
Machine learning and natural language processing, which are already commonplace in our daily lives, are components of artificial intelligence’s rise. AI is now able to comprehend, identify and resolve issues from both organized and unstructured data, sometimes without the need for special programming.
Artificial intelligence has a very distinct emphasis and set of issues. AI systems aim to transcend human speed and constraints while emulating human characteristics and computational abilities in a computer. Machine learning, AI and data-driven prioritization can all aid in more effective decision-making. This is particularly true in networks that are larger and include a lot of people and variables. Speech recognition, learning planning and problem-solving are the main applications for AI-enabled systems.
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The Trump administration is in the process of formulating its policy strategy for AI. For the purpose of developing a national AI action plan, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a request for information on February 6, on behalf of the National Science Foundation.
“Define the priority policy actions needed to sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance, and to ensure that unnecessarily burdensome requirements do not hamper private sector AI innovation,” it reads. This directive was started by President Trump in Executive Order 14179, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” issued January 23. The RFI seeks feedback on “concrete AI policy actions” on a wide range of connected problems from government agencies, business associations, academia and other interested parties.
In conclusion, the Trump Administration has already started to address the implications of emerging technology issues and their relationship to national security policies. Space, quantum computing and artificial intelligence are creating new paradigms and will have an exponential impact on society, for good and bad. It is important to have an operational strategy to get ahead of these topics and cultivate the benefits that they can bring to both U.S. national security and economic well-being.
