This paper reviews the interdisciplinary research on quantum technology extending from natural science to international politics, categorizing it into two directions: first, research on the national security attributes of quantum technology, covering military applications, defense security, cyber threats, and the reshaping of global political order; second, research on great power competition dynamics, focusing on the Sino-U.S. quantum technology rivalry and U.S. containment strategies toward China. On this basis, it points out the inadequacy of existing research in systematic analysis of U.S. quantum technology strategy, and clarifies that this paper will conduct systematic research from four dimensions: formation drivers, main content, implementation mechanisms, and international impact, aiming to provide strategic reference for China's response to global technological competition.

I. Drivers of U.S. Quantum Technology Strategy Formation

This section examines the threefold drivers behind the formation of U.S. quantum technology strategy. In terms of economic interests, quantum technology develops along three paths—quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing—capable of reshaping production factors and empowering industrial chain restructuring, with global startup financing reaching nearly $2 billion in 2024; the United States intends to seize the dividends of technological development. Regarding national security, quantum computing poses threats by potentially breaking current encryption systems, quantum communication provides theoretically absolutely secure information transmission, and quantum sensing can break through classical sensor limits to enhance military capabilities; this dual characteristic prompts the United States to incorporate it into national security priority agendas. In terms of international competition, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and others have successively introduced national strategies, while China leads in quantum communication and is evenly matched with the United States in sensing; facing pressure from relative hegemonic decline, the United States pursues cumulative advantages in research systems, industrial ecosystems, talent cultivation, and international standards to maintain hegemonic status and grasp the initiative in quantum technology competition.

II. Main Content of U.S. Quantum Technology Strategy

This section addresses three core aspects of U.S. quantum technology strategy. At the strategic goal level, the United States aims to maintain global quantum technology leadership, specifically divided into three progressive layers: first, breaking through technological uncertainty through institutionalized assessment to master the evaluation and control rights over quantum computing development pace; second, completing the transition of national security systems to post-quantum algorithms before 2035 and enhancing battlefield situational awareness through quantum sensing technology to actively shape security patterns; third, building a quantum internet to achieve distributed quantum computing resource connectivity and long-distance quantum-secure communication, with expected practical application before 2040. The long-term goal is to obtain first-mover advantages in the new generation of technological revolution and consolidate global technological dominance.

At the strategic design level, the United States has formed a four-in-one institutional framework: providing legislative authorization through the National Quantum Initiative Act and CHIPS and Science Act amendments, elevating quantum technology to national-level strategy; fiscal investment grew from $456 million in FY2019 to $1.036 billion in FY2022, thereafter maintaining a high stable level of approximately $1 billion; technological layout covers basic scientific research, key technology support, cutting-edge application exploration, and risk defense, forming a complete technological closed loop; governance mechanisms include the coordination layer of subcommittees under the National Science and Technology Council, the operational coordination layer of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and three execution systems of federal non-defense research institutions, defense research institutions, and intelligence security agencies, corresponding respectively to basic capacity building, military application docking, and cryptographic security risk management.

At the implementation path level, the United States adopts four measures: adhering to the "science first" principle, funding diversified research organizations and promoting interdisciplinary exchange; jointly strengthening critical infrastructure construction with industry and academia, providing testing platforms; deepening government-industry-academia collaboration, cultivating quantum talent and establishing the U.S. Quantum Consortium to accelerate application transformation; and advancing international cooperation to track global trends, attract high-end talent, and dominate international standard setting. These paths cover the full chain from basic research, technological development to practical application from the inside out, systematically enhancing quantum technology capabilities.

III. Implementation Mechanisms of U.S. Quantum Technology Strategy

This section studies the three-layer implementation mechanisms of U.S. quantum technology strategy. At the government level, the United States has built a clearly divided, collaboratively advancing execution system relying on various agencies' functional advantages: the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy lead basic scientific research, with the Department of Energy appropriating $625 million in 2025 for quantum information science research centers; the National Institute of Standards and Technology advances post-quantum cryptography standard setting; the Department of Defense and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency focus on dual-use technologies and quantum sensor R&D; the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for post-quantum cryptography migration risk management. At the societal level, the U.S. government incorporates academia and the private sector into the strategic track through institutional arrangements: academia undertakes basic research and talent cultivation functions, with the University of Chicago leading the establishment of the "Chicago Quantum Exchange," and top universities such as MIT offering quantum courses and establishing doctoral programs; the private sector undertakes technology transformation functions, with the National Defense Authorization Act explicitly requiring military collaboration with technology enterprises, and companies such as IBM and IonQ building international quantum R&D networks through initiatives like the "Quantum Network Program." At the international level, the United States builds its dominated quantum technology ecosystem through bilateral and multilateral cooperation: at the bilateral level, signing cooperation statements with 11 countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia, advocating a global ecosystem based on "shared values"; at the multilateral level, relying on NATO to release quantum technology strategies and establishing quantum working groups with the European Union, excluding competitors and making the international quantum technology ecosystem a key mechanism for maintaining U.S. leadership.

IV. International Impact of U.S. Quantum Technology Strategy

This section examines the threefold impact of U.S. quantum technology strategy on the international system. First, it intensifies the weaponization of interdependence in the technology field; the United States leverages the "panoramic effect" to dominate international standard setting and critical node control, and through the "deterrence effect" builds exclusive ecosystems, transforming interdependent relationships into asymmetric power advantages. Second, it promotes a "center-periphery" differentiation of the quantum technology ecosystem, with developed countries occupying high value-added segments while Global South countries fall into technological dependence and discourse deficit, with the quantum gap continuously widening. Third, this differentiation trend inversely incentivizes Global South countries to seek strategic autonomy; China, with first-tier capabilities, provides alternative paths through international cooperation, while countries such as Brazil actively build their own development strategies, potentially forming ecosystems dominated by China and the United States respectively in the future, creating possibilities for Global South countries to narrow technological gaps and reduce unilateral dependence on the United States.

V. Conclusion

This section analyzes the strategic logic of the United States using quantum technology to maintain technological hegemony amid profound global changes, pointing out that its construction of exclusive international quantum ecosystems is intensifying the weaponization of technological interdependence, leading to structural differentiation of the global technology system and deepening of the North-South quantum gap; it also emphasizes that China needs to enhance independent innovation capabilities and strategic resilience, and promote open, shared, and equally participatory international cooperation in global technology governance to facilitate the development of a multipolar technological power structure.