On June 22, 2026, the White House issued Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, establishing a coordinated federal strategy for the transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The Executive Order recognizes that advances in quantum computing, combined with “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, require organizations to begin preparing for the next generation of cryptographic standards.
For organizations involved in cryptographic module development and validation, the Executive Order carries particular significance because it explicitly references the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) and the continued role of FIPS 140-3.
What Does the Executive Order Say?
Among its many provisions, Executive Order 14412 directs NIST to review and revise CMVP processes to accelerate the validation of cryptographic modules, helping vendors bring products implementing approved post-quantum algorithms to market more quickly.
The Order also directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to develop procurement requirements that will require covered federal contractors to use NIST-approved FIPS incorporating post-quantum cryptographic algorithms by the end of 2030.
What This Means for FIPS 140-3
FIPS 140-3 remains the U.S. government’s standard for the security requirements of cryptographic modules. As NIST standardizes post-quantum algorithms and incorporates them into the FIPS ecosystem, vendors will increasingly need validated modules capable of implementing these new algorithms while continuing to meet the security, testing, and assurance requirements defined by FIPS 140-3.
For many organizations, this means that post-quantum migration is no longer simply a research topic. It is becoming a practical engineering, testing, and validation challenge that will affect product roadmaps, procurement decisions, and compliance efforts over the coming years.
Preparing for the Transition
Successfully adopting post-quantum cryptography will require close collaboration among standards bodies, product developers, testing laboratories, certification authorities, government agencies, and the broader cybersecurity community.
At the Crypto-V Alliance, we believe education and collaboration are essential to this transition. Through conferences, publications, technical discussions, and community engagement, we aim to help practitioners understand the evolving standards landscape and prepare for the future of cryptographic assurance.
As the post-quantum transition accelerates, one thing remains unchanged: trustworthy cryptography depends not only on strong algorithms, but also on rigorous implementation, independent testing, and robust validation. Executive Order 14412 underscores that these principles, embodied by FIPS 140-3 and the CMVP, will continue to form the foundation of trusted cryptographic systems in the years ahead.