000011070 001__ 11070
000011070 005__ 20240626112745.0
000011070 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.24868/11070
000011070 245__ $$aQuantum Cryptography and Military Communications
000011070 269__ $$a2023-11-28
000011070 520__ $$aGeneral Eisenhower declared that Project Ultra was the decisive factor for Allied victory in WW2. This was achieved through espionage, technology, and good luck in equal measure. Since WW2, the rate of technological progression has accelerated.
These kinetic effects of code breakers was clearly demonstrated at the Battle of Matapan. Allied intelligence, provided by Bletchley Park, allowed Admiral Cunningham to understand the makeup of the Italian fleet poised to intercept a convoy. Cunningham used this intelligence to prepare a counter and in the resulting engagement the Italian Regia Marina was crippled. This allowed convoys to continue in the Mediterranean, Malta to endure, and eventually the victory at El Alamein. This example shows the catastrophic kinetic effects of cracked military communications, effects which could arise out of the development of Quantum Computing.
Quantum Computing also offers a solution. Through the secure generation of truly random one-time pads achieved by Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) methods, such as BB84, military communications can be future proofed. Upon adding measures to detect a potential intercept of the one-time pads, the resulting encryption method can be considered to be truly uncrackable. This end product has been utilized by researchers using pre-existing infrastructure to encrypt a video call from Vienna to Beijing using QKD methods. All that remains to be done is for the equipment to be marinised and adopted into the Royal Navy.
The future benefits of this allow for no pre-distribution of keys and a vast reduction in the risk of cryptographic information being leaked. All communications can be encrypted as and when they are required and the encryption destroyed immediately afterwards, negating the need to store and distribute decryption keys. Quantum Computing poses a threat to secure communications, but through the proper adoption of its methods secure communications can be improved and future proofed.
000011070 7001_ $$aColbeck, M$$uRoyal Navy
000011070 773__ $$tConference Proceedings of EAAW
000011070 773__ $$jEAAW X
000011070 8564_ $$9c69041d7-e4be-4e2f-9382-b8112a755242$$s1474908$$uhttps://library.imarest.org/record/11070/files/EAAW_2023_paper_3.pdf