Consider quantum computing. We’re in a global race to develop quantum, with implications for everything from national security to space exploration to drug discovery. The winner of this race will be the one who moves fastest from theory to practice, from laboratory to real-world application. And the losers will stand to lose more than just national pride. The PRC is likely gathering encrypted data, waiting for the day when quantum computers can break through current encryption methods and wreak havoc on our systems. The risk of the PRC being able to break our cybersecurity defenses faster than we can breach theirs cannot be overstated.

Faced with such a threat, the private and public sectors need to work together in new ways. While industry must continue to lead the development of quantum and other advanced technologies, the U.S. government can step into the role of early adopter and in doing so, further accelerate progress.

Technology firms working at the leading edge cannot succeed without early adopters. These are the customers willing to tolerate bugs and not-quite-there-yet products. By way of reward, they get to imagine how the new tech will help them ahead of the market, and through their feedback, they shape the direction of the technology. Remember the first iPhone? Revolutionary, yet far from perfect. If everyone had waited for perfection, we might still be using BlackBerrys.

The government, with its scaled missions and long-term perspective, can act as a true catalyst through this kind of early adoption. A willingness and commitment to co-develop requirements and test, iterate, and evolve emerging technologies helps private industry advance through the early stages of commercialization, fueling acceleration in ways that increased funding alone cannot. 

Today, the federal technology ecosystem is not designed to support this iterative and accelerated adoption of new technical solutions. For the government to truly embrace its role as an early adopter of technologies, it must first make a multitude of changes—like acquisition reform and increasing accountability for outcomes—that will enable it to operate with greater speed. Current processes are designed to minimize risk, are biased toward caution, and move far too slowly to keep pace with today’s rapid tech cycles.

Industry, in turn, must see government not just as a large late-cycle customer, but as a potential testbed for pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Through early adoption, the federal government would earn a seat at the table to define priorities and shape the outcomes that will ultimately safeguard our national security. The knowledge gained would also shape regulation ahead of the problems, not after. In parallel, the private sector also must see each other as more than competitors, especially when it comes to national security. Instead, we must be co-investors and co-creators working together to deliver the solutions the nation requires. When we get these partnerships right, everyone wins: government missions succeed faster, American innovation roars ahead, and our national economic interests are bolstered.

At Booz Allen, we’re already walking the walk. By virtue of the work we do, we are the advanced technology company focused on speed to outcomes for the U.S. government. At the center of the federal tech ecosystem, we have relationships with everyone from Silicon Valley startups and tech hyperscalers to the Pentagon, CDC, and NASA. We build our own tech on top of the best commercial offerings to accelerate meaningful improvement in how our government serves and protects America. And we are learning to work faster, internally and externally. We are building co-creation partnerships that are already on the verge of new breakthroughs. From AI to cyber to software-defined everything; and from the Pacific to orbit to here at home, we are building and working with the very best in our nation, across government and the private sector. The energy being created is awe-inspiring.

This approach, with industry co-investing and co-developing solutions and government participating as an early adopter, is a key element of the broader blueprint for continued American technological supremacy. To stay in front, we must operate at the speed of change—where solutions evolve as quickly as challenges and opportunities emerge. Doing so requires more than just brilliant innovation; it will require all of us to align our efforts. Together, we will go far and fast.