The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released Memorandum M-26-15, “Execution of the Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography,” providing federal civilian agencies with detailed implementation guidance for the government’s transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
Published on June 24, just two days after President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14412 directing an accelerated government-wide migration to PQC, the memorandum serves as the operational roadmap for carrying out the order. While the executive order allowed up to 90 days for implementation guidance, the rapid release of the memorandum indicates planning had already been completed alongside the executive action.
Signed by OMB Director Russell T. Vought, M-26-15 establishes a five-phase migration schedule spanning 2026 through 2035—the first federal roadmap to outline a phased timeline for completing the government’s transition to post-quantum cryptography. It also requires every civilian federal agency to submit a PQC migration plan by October 2026.
The memorandum includes detailed technical guidance covering approved cryptographic algorithms, hybrid cryptographic architectures, crypto-agility, and the integration of PQC into zero-trust security frameworks.
The guidance applies to federal civilian agencies and does not cover National Security Systems, which are governed under separate cybersecurity authorities.
