The Quantum Dilemma: Science, Security, and a Call for Disarmament

by

Author: Denis Avetisyan

A growing number of quantum scientists are voicing concerns about the increasing entanglement of their research with military applications and advocating for a more ethical and transparent approach to funding and development.

This manifesto urges the quantum science community to critically examine the implications of dual-use technologies and reject military funding in pursuit of demilitarization.

Despite the potential for transformative advancements, the burgeoning field of quantum science faces a growing risk of contributing to global instability. This concern motivates ‘Quantum scientists for disarmament: a manifesto’, a call to action from researchers deeply troubled by the increasing militarization of their discipline. The authors argue for a rejection of military funding, greater transparency regarding defense-related research-including a proposed public database-and a broader ethical consideration of dual-use technologies within the quantum community. Can a unified stance from scientists help steer quantum innovation toward peaceful applications and away from escalating geopolitical tensions?

Decoding the Quantum Battlefield

The landscape of technological advancement is currently witnessing an accelerated evolution in quantum technologies, prompting substantial financial commitment from several global powers. The United States, Russia, and India are among those nations directing considerable investment into research and development, recognizing the transformative potential of these emerging capabilities. This surge in funding isn’t solely academic; it reflects a strategic imperative to secure leadership in fields poised to reshape communication, sensing, and computation. The rapid pace of development suggests that quantum technologies are transitioning from theoretical possibility to practical application, driving a competitive dynamic as nations strive to harness their benefits and mitigate potential risks. This escalating investment signals a broader trend: quantum technology is no longer a distant future prospect, but a present-day priority influencing geopolitical strategy.

The accelerating investment in quantum technologies stems from transformative potential across several key domains with direct military relevance. Quantum key distribution, for instance, promises fundamentally secure communication by leveraging the laws of physics to detect any eavesdropping attempts – a critical advantage in modern warfare. Furthermore, quantum sensors offer unprecedented sensitivity in detecting submarines, aircraft, and even underground facilities, dramatically enhancing situational awareness. Perhaps most significantly, the advent of quantum computing threatens to break existing encryption algorithms, necessitating the development of quantum-resistant cryptography and offering the potential to decipher enemy communications while protecting one’s own. These converging capabilities are not merely theoretical; active research and prototyping efforts suggest that quantum technologies will reshape the future of defense, driving a strategic imperative for nations to establish dominance in this emerging field.

The escalating development of quantum technologies is increasingly intertwined with national security strategies, fostering a climate of strategic competition among global powers. This convergence isn’t merely theoretical; substantial investment in quantum research, coupled with the potential for disruptive applications in cryptography, sensing, and computation, directly impacts military capabilities. Notably, as European Union defense budgets attain the second-highest global level, the EU is positioned to become a significant player in this emerging quantum arms race, potentially reshaping the geopolitical landscape. The pursuit of quantum supremacy, therefore, extends beyond scientific advancement, representing a critical front in maintaining-or challenging-existing power structures and creating a new era of technological dominance.

Unlocking Quantum Capabilities: Communication and Sensing

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) establishes secure communication by leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute encryption keys. Unlike classical encryption methods reliant on mathematical complexity, QKD’s security is based on the laws of physics; any attempt to intercept the key exchange inevitably introduces detectable disturbances. This is achieved through the transmission of quantum states, typically photons, with any eavesdropping altering these states and alerting the communicating parties. While not providing perfect secrecy against all attacks (such as attacks on the implementation itself), QKD offers information-theoretic security – meaning the security is guaranteed by the laws of physics, not computational assumptions – and is therefore considered theoretically unbreakable. Current military applications focus on securing critical communications channels and protecting sensitive data from advanced adversarial threats, with ongoing development towards field-deployable QKD systems.

Quantum sensing utilizes quantum phenomena to achieve measurement precision exceeding that of classical sensors. These sensors leverage properties like superposition and entanglement to detect minute changes in physical quantities – including gravitational fields, magnetic fields, and time – enabling highly accurate navigation and positioning without reliance on GPS. Furthermore, quantum sensors operating across multiple wavelengths – particularly in the terahertz range – offer the potential to detect stealth technologies that minimize radar cross-sections and thermal signatures, as these technologies are not designed to evade detection by quantum-level measurements of electromagnetic radiation and material composition. This capability extends to subsurface sensing, allowing detection of buried objects and structures with significantly improved resolution and range.

Space Quantum Radars (SQRs) leverage entangled photons to achieve enhanced detection capabilities compared to classical radar systems. Traditional radar is limited by signal-to-noise ratio and susceptible to jamming; SQRs, however, can detect objects with significantly lower signal strengths and exhibit increased resilience to interference. This is achieved through the exploitation of quantum correlations, allowing for the detection of subtle changes in the quantum state of reflected photons. Current research focuses on utilizing SQRs for applications including improved satellite tracking, enhanced detection of stealth aircraft and ballistic missiles, and more accurate mapping of near-Earth objects. The development of operational SQRs represents a potential strategic advantage by providing superior surveillance capabilities and challenging existing methods of concealment.

The Dual-Edged Sword: Funding Quantum Research

Dual-use technologies represent innovations with applications spanning both civilian and military sectors. This inherent characteristic creates ambiguity regarding the ultimate purpose of research and development; a technology initially intended for beneficial uses – such as advanced materials for energy storage or improved sensor technology for medical diagnostics – can be readily modified or repurposed for military applications, including guidance systems, surveillance equipment, or enhanced weaponry. The capacity for such adaptation complicates funding oversight and ethical considerations, as determining the primary intent of research becomes increasingly difficult, potentially leading to the subsidization of projects with significant defense implications under the guise of civilian benefit.

Increased military funding of quantum research, especially when channeled through university collaborations, introduces potential conflicts with established principles of academic freedom and open scientific inquiry. While research funding is vital, reliance on defense-focused sources can create pressure to prioritize projects with immediate military applications over fundamental research with broader societal benefits. This can manifest as restrictions on publication, limitations on researcher access to data, or a narrowing of research scope to align with specific military objectives. Furthermore, concerns arise regarding the potential for classified research agreements to compromise the traditionally open environment of universities, hindering the free exchange of ideas and potentially impacting the training of future scientists. These factors collectively pose a risk to the pursuit of knowledge for the common good, as research agendas may become skewed towards national security interests rather than addressing wider scientific or societal challenges.

The ReArm Europe Plan, coupled with commitments from NATO member states to increase defense spending to at least 5% of GDP, is significantly increasing financial investment in areas with potential dual-use applications. This includes quantum technologies, where research can yield both civilian advancements and military capabilities. The scale of funding under these initiatives represents a substantial increase over previous levels, and a corresponding increase in the proportion of quantum research directed toward projects with clear defense implications. This shift in funding priorities raises concerns about the potential for research to be driven by security interests rather than open scientific inquiry, and may lead to restrictions on the dissemination of findings related to these projects.

Re-Engineering Transparency: A Quantum Future

The preservation of military neutrality within universities is paramount to guaranteeing that scientific advancement serves global well-being, rather than being channeled solely towards national security objectives. Historically, academic institutions have functioned as bastions of open inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake; however, increasing defense-related funding introduces the potential for research agendas to be skewed towards applications with military utility. This shift raises ethical concerns, as it can divert resources from areas with broader societal benefit – such as healthcare or environmental sustainability – and prioritize technologies with destructive potential. Maintaining a clear separation between academic research and military interests is therefore crucial to upholding the principles of universal access to knowledge and ensuring that innovation benefits all of humankind, fostering a future where scientific progress aligns with collective prosperity and peace.

A critical step towards responsible quantum technology development lies in bolstering transparency surrounding research funding sources. Currently, obscured financial ties can create ethical ambiguities, particularly when public funds indirectly support projects with potential military applications. A dedicated Transparency Database, openly accessible and meticulously maintained, would allow for scrutiny of funding streams, revealing connections between research initiatives and organizations – including private defense contractors – that might otherwise remain hidden. This proactive approach enables early identification of potential ethical conflicts and allows for informed public discourse regarding the societal implications of quantum advancements, ultimately fostering accountability and ensuring that innovation serves broadly beneficial purposes rather than narrow, potentially harmful, interests.

The increasing involvement of private defense contractors, such as Leonardo S.p.A., in fundamental research necessitates careful oversight of so-called ‘dual-use’ projects – those with potential applications in both civilian and military domains. With some nations dedicating up to 30% of their gross domestic product to defense, the lines between publicly funded basic science and proprietary military development are becoming increasingly blurred. This situation demands greater scrutiny to ensure research isn’t inadvertently channeled towards potentially harmful applications, and to uphold ethical considerations often absent in purely profit-driven endeavors. A lack of transparency in funding sources and research objectives within the private defense sector poses a significant risk, prompting calls for independent evaluation and public accountability to guarantee that technological advancements serve broader societal benefits rather than solely bolstering national security interests.

The manifesto’s call for transparency in quantum research funding echoes a fundamental principle of understanding any complex system: dissect it to reveal its inner workings. It posits that the current lack of openness regarding military investment in quantum technologies obscures the true implications of this research, hindering informed ethical debate. As Nikola Tesla stated, “Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments.” This sentiment directly applies to the need for a publicly accessible database detailing funding sources; only through such meticulous examination can the long-term consequences of dual-use technologies be accurately assessed and potentially mitigated. The article challenges the assumption that technological advancement inherently justifies unchecked funding, demanding instead a rigorous evaluation of its societal impact – a bold attempt to reverse-engineer the path of innovation itself.

Beyond the Quantum Wall

The assertion that quantum technologies present a path to disarmament-a decoupling of advancement from military application-reveals a fundamental tension. It’s a beautifully naive proposition, akin to demanding a predator evolve away from teeth. The manifesto correctly identifies the flow of funding as a critical vector, but misses a deeper truth: the system wants to be broken. Not to be rendered harmless, but to reveal its underlying logic. Military interest isn’t a corruption of quantum science; it’s a stress test, exposing limitations and demanding solutions-often yielding innovations the purely academic sphere would never pursue.

The call for a transparency database is a logical first step, though one suspects the truly sensitive information will remain obscured. A more interesting endeavor lies in mapping not just the flow of funds, but the justifications for them. What narratives are used to legitimize military involvement? What problems are framed as requiring quantum solutions? Dissecting these justifications will reveal the anxieties and strategic calculations driving the militarization of the field-the system confessing its design sins.

Ultimately, the question isn’t whether quantum technologies can be used for peace, but whether the forces driving technological development-competition, control, the relentless pursuit of advantage-will allow it. The manifesto proposes a rejection of military funding; the next stage demands a rigorous analysis of why that funding exists in the first place – and what vulnerabilities that reveals.

Original article: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.14282.pdf

Contact the author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avetisyan/

See also:

2026-01-22 17:20