September 2, 2026
Quantum technology could eventually affect nearly every element of warfare, and former Defense Threat Reduction Agency program manager Steve Hoffman says the Pentagon needs to prepare for that disruption before the technology fully matures.
During an interview on Fed Gov Today, Hoffman, a retired Navy commander and founder and president of Helm Innovations, discusses the challenge of moving emerging technology from prototypes into operational capabilities.
Hoffman says quantum represents the type of disruptive technology that government cannot afford to approach reactively. He points to technologies including the iPhone, ChatGPT and Starlink as examples of capabilities that emerged and quickly changed how people operate.
“We see quantum as one of those issues that if we don't get ahead of it now,” the United States risks falling behind its adversaries, Hoffman says.
Part of the challenge is bringing together the people who understand operational problems with those who understand emerging technologies.
Hoffman says organizations across the military may simultaneously pursue solutions to similar problems. Creating a more connected innovation ecosystem could help shorten the process between identifying a requirement and delivering a capability.
That process includes understanding requirements, engaging commercial innovators, rapidly prototyping technologies, gathering early warfighter feedback, experimenting and ultimately transitioning successful technologies into acquisition programs.
But Hoffman says innovation cannot depend exclusively on requirements coming from warfighters.
There is also a “technology push,” where users may not know what capabilities are available or what they should request. Hoffman compares that dynamic to the emergence of the iPhone and other technologies that created demand after people understood what they could do.
Getting technology into the hands of operators early can help bridge that gap.
Hoffman recalls overseeing sensors along the northern and southern borders and bringing engineers together with Customs and Border Protection personnel to test new technologies in operational environments. That approach allowed companies to receive immediate feedback from the people who would actually use their products.
Scaling that model across the Pentagon could help emerging capabilities move more effectively from prototypes into operational systems.
Hoffman also sees lessons in Ukraine, where rapidly changing battlefield requirements are driving both technological innovation and changes within the industrial base.
He points to smaller Ukrainian businesses shifting their production toward drones as an example of how industry can respond to new mission demands. For American manufacturers, however, making similar pivots can require significant investments before a government contract arrives.
Hoffman describes working with a manufacturer that has spent decades producing precision missile components but now faces questions about whether to invest in the equipment needed to produce cheaper capabilities at greater scale.
That creates a capital challenge for companies trying to respond to changing Pentagon requirements.
Hoffman says venture capital and other financing approaches could help established and emerging companies make those transitions. He also points to additive manufacturing as another opportunity, describing an entrepreneur using sophisticated 3D printing to replace Navy components that original manufacturers no longer produce.
As quantum and other technologies continue to develop, Hoffman expects their impact to extend across military missions.
“I think quantum will have an impact on every element of warfare in the coming years,” he says.