# Federal Agencies Advance PQC Migration

Federal agencies must submit post-quantum cryptography (PQC) inventories and migration plans to the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the National Cyber Director by the end of October 2026. A key dependency is modernizing public key infrastructure to support PQC-enabled PIV and CAC smart cards. The Department of Defense’s target calls for its systems and products to be PQC-ready by the end of 2029, ahead of broader federal deadlines in 2030–2035; no specific solicitation or contract award has been identified.

- Agencies’ inventories and migration plans may shape future needs for cryptographic asset discovery, PKI modernization, interoperability testing, and migration support. Contractors can assess whether their capabilities address these areas.
- Companies supporting identity credentials or federal systems should account for the DoD’s end-of-2029 readiness target and the longer federal transition window when planning product roadmaps and integration work.
- GSA’s FICAM pilot and NIST’s PIV/CAC standards work are identified as relevant activities for companies assessing interoperability and potential requirements; the signal does not identify a solicitation or proposal deadline.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Defense & Military
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)
- General Services Administration (GSA)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

### Key Quotes
> Your most critical systems, your high value assets, you’re going to want to prioritize those first.
> — Patrick Manley, Lead for Quantum Security at CISA

> So that actually means, in practicality, by the end of 2029, all systems and products in the department have to be post-quantum ready and able to use those new post-quantum algorithms.
> — Britta Hale, Director of PQC at DoD

### Sources
- [
        In preparing for PQC, agencies must ensure integration with smart identity cards - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2026/10/in-preparing-for-pqc-agencies-must-ensure-integration-with-smart-identity-cards) - Federal News Network