From Skeptic to Champion: Troy Dunn’s Playbook for Making Quantum “Within Reach” at the DoD
In a candid talk at Quantum World Congress 2025, Troy Dunn—a recently retired senior leader from the U.S. Department of the Air Force and Board Member at Quanta Standard—recounted his journey from outspoken quantum skeptic to committed advocate and strategist for defense adoption. Dunn, who said he was once “one of the most vocal critics” of quantum, outlined the mindset shifts leaders need to make to move quantum from the lab into operational reality—starting with how we frame “quick wins,” how leaders evaluate emerging tech, and how industry partners help write the requirements that warfighters actually need.
Dunn opened with a story from 2017, when (then) Air Force Secretary Dr. Heather Wilson asked where one more dollar should go—pilots, maintainers, flying hours, depot maintenance, or “this emerging technology known as quantum computing.” Dunn’s answer at the time: “That’s a bridge too far.” Years later, after what he called a “Damascus Road” rethink, he sees three mistakes leaders often make—and how to correct them.
1) The “Low-Hanging Fruit” Myth—and the Real First Step
Quantum, Dunn argued, is neither low-hanging fruit nor impossibly high fruit; the task is to put the fruit within reach of decision-makers. His fix: focus early on workforce on-ramps—repurposing enlisted personnel, civilians, and officers into quantum-adjacent roles (technicians, maintainers, software/product engineers, logistics, healthcare, finance). The goal is a quantum-aware and quantum-proficient workforce ready to scale as technology matures, rather than waiting for a trickle of PhD specialists.
2) Don’t “Blink”—Hold the Glance and Ask What’s Changed
Borrowing from military strategy’s coup d’œil (the disciplined “glance” over a battlefield) and Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, Dunn said leaders too often make snap calls without asking: “What does quantum change for us?” The answer today: the character of war has shifted—toward speed, precision, and automation—and emerging risks such as Q-Day/Davidson’s window demand planning now. Leaders should hold the glance long enough to see where quantum can meaningfully affect readiness, modernization, and people.
3) Build Requirements Together—Industry, Academia, and DoD
Warfighters are graded on fighting tonight, not writing perfect RFPs. Dunn urged industry and academia to partner on requirement definition, closing the “white space” on program managers’ calendars and translating technology into mission outcomes. He framed this as a multi-level coalition—labs, federal/state agencies, industry consortia, and allied partners—that aligns strategy across computing, communications, and sensing.
Signals in the Budget—and a Path Forward
Dunn noted momentum in planning: by FY26, he said, 61 R&D budget lines across the Department are associated with quantum—an evolution from years when large Air Force R&D toplines (~$20B then, ~$52B now) had no dedicated quantum programs. The takeaway: resources are starting to match the mission. The immediate job is to connect talent to missions and co-write, then execute, requirement-driven pilots that de-risk transitions to operations.
Bottom line
Troy Dunn’s message to both defense and industry was pragmatic and hopeful—stop searching for magic “quick wins,” build on-ramps and coalitions, and keep your gaze steady on how quantum tangibly changes mission outcomes. That’s how you make the fruit reachable.