  Doing quantum ethics properly will require detailed socio-political analysis
of the technologies and the organizations trying to build them. In this paper,
I contribute to this task by analysing the public rhetoric of American military
stakeholders in the quantum industry. I look at Air Force Research Laboratory
involvement in the 2020 Quantum 2 Business conference, where they were the main
sponsor. A critical thematic analysis shows a focus on enacting the violence of
war, maintaining narratives that the Air Force provides a secure future for
Americans, and marrying quantum technology with the aesthetics of war. I
contextualize this with anti-imperialist theory, arguing that this rhetoric and
the desire for quantum arms aligns with the reproduction of existing violent
power structures. Insights about this example of military involvement in
quantum spaces should help orient nascent critical quantum ethics
interventions.
