China's Quantum Satellite Link A Hack-Proof Leap Forward

Delving into the tactical military advantages of quantum technology, in a February 2023 article for the Joint Airpower Competence Center (JAPCC) journal, Michal Krelina and Denis Dúbřavčík mention that quantum technology significantly benefits military air and space domains by enhancing capabilities in sensing, communication and computing.

According to Krelina and Dúbřavčík, quantum sensors, such as quantum magnetometers and gravimeters, enable superior detection of submarines, mines and concealed underground structures, drastically improving intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). They mention that quantum radar and imaging promise higher noise resistance, stealth detection, and target identification, even in adverse environments impacted by fog, smoke or dust.

They say quantum communication, through Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), ensures secure, eavesdropping-resistant communications critical for defense operations.

Additionally, they state quantum computing, though still developing, offers exponential computational speed-up, potentially revolutionizing ISR data processing, machine learning applications and complex aerodynamic simulations​.

Highlighting the technical challenges of military applications for quantum technology, Nelson Roso points out that the most significant among these is operational resilience under harsh conditions.

Roso says quantum systems are susceptible to environmental factors like temperature fluctuations, electromagnetic interference and physical shocks in military settings, jeopardizing the stability of fragile quantum states.

Another substantial hurdle Roso points out is interoperability with legacy communication systems, necessitating extensive adaptations to merge delicate quantum signals seamlessly with classical infrastructures without compromising security or efficiency.

Additionally, he says there are complexities related to quantum network design, including overcoming inherent distance limitations of QKD through quantum repeaters and quantum satellites to ensure robust and secure global military communications.

At the operational level, Daniel Choi mentions in a September 2023 Expeditions article that quantum satellite technology improves military operations by providing secure and nearly unbreakable communication through QKD, which detects any interception due to the principles of quantum physics.

Choi says quantum communication networks could integrate geographically dispersed military units with unprecedented security, enabling coordinated operations free from cyber espionage threats.

Additionally, he says quantum inertial navigation systems, independent of vulnerable GPS signals, promise exceptional accuracy, ensuring precise positioning even in GPS-denied environments. Such advances drastically improve coordination and situational awareness, significantly reducing response times to global crises and transforming strategic capabilities beyond regional boundaries.

In a 2021 article for the Sensors peer-reviewed journal, David Gozzard and other writers mention that in a hypothetical attempt to interfere with a quantum communications satellite, a ground-based laser with a moderate power of 1 kilowatt can inject excess noise photons into a satellite's QKD channel, severely increasing the quantum bit error rate (QBER) to levels that prevent secure key generation.

They note that photons from these lasers scatter off satellite surfaces, particularly those covered with reflective materials, introducing sufficient noise into the ground-based QKD receiver.

They say this completely disrupts key generation, as demonstrated by modeling based on the Chinese Mozi satellite design, signaling a serious threat to future satellite-based secure communications.

However, Gozzard and others note that quantum communications satellites could be designed to minimize reflection and light scattering, requiring ground-based lasers to increase their output to impractical levels to achieve interference.

Laurent de Forges de Parny and other writers mention in a January 2023 article for the Communication Physics peer-reviewed journal that optical data links between quantum satellites and their ground stations are affected by atmospheric phenomena such as clouds, aerosols and atmospheric turbulence.

At the strategic level, China's push to integrate its quantum technology within the BRICS bloc aims to secure its influence over the latter by influencing technology standards, strengthening strategic partnerships, and enabling power projection.

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Joseph Kurlantzick mentions in a March 2023 Council on Foreign Relations article that China aims to control the“pipes” of information, such as global information networks, including their associated physical infrastructure and norms.

Kurlantzick argues that China, with control of information pipes, could use them to spread favorable narratives while censoring negative ones. He says this could enable China to export its alternative views of international relations based on non-interference in other countries' internal affairs.

He argues that China could use such influence to help foreign countries copy China's vision of a closed and controlled domestic internet, mimicking China's technology-enabled authoritarianism.

Further, in an April 2023 Heritage Foundation report , Dustin Carmack discusses the quantum arms race between the US and China, emphasizing the national security implications of quantum technology.

According to Carmack, the US is leveraging a whole-of-government and whole-of-industry approach to maintain leadership, while China has aggressively invested in quantum computing, encryption and communication. He says China's advancements in quantum cryptanalysis directly threaten US encryption, potentially enabling it to decrypt sensitive data.

As quantum computers use qubits, they can test multiple mathematical solutions simultaneously, quickly solving the complex math needed to crack contemporary encryption algorithms that would take traditional binary computers billions of years.

Carmack mentions the US has responded by blacklisting Chinese firms, expediting post-quantum encryption and fostering international collaborations. He argues that the quantum race will define global power dynamics, with military, cybersecurity and economic dimensions shaping the 21st-century geopolitical landscape.

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