A senior US military commander has publicly endorsed Bitcoin as a strategic asset for national security, extending its perceived utility beyond monetary applications. Admiral Samuel Paparo, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, described Bitcoin as a "valuable computer science tool, as a power projection."
Paparo emphasized that Bitcoin's proof-of-work technology "imposes more cost" on potential attackers, making it a significant cybersecurity asset. "Outside of the economic formulation of it, it has got really important computer science applications for cybersecurity," he stated during the hearing, which focused on US strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific region.
These remarks align with previous statements from US Space Force member Jason Lowery in December 2023, who argued that Bitcoin and similar blockchains could protect the US in cyberwarfare by securing all forms of data, not just financial transactions. The hearing context included discussions on threats from state-linked cyber actors, such as North Korea's Lazarus Group, which has stolen billions in cryptocurrency to fund its nuclear program.
Admiral Paparo's comments were in response to Senator Tommy Tuberville, who inquired about US leadership in Bitcoin competition, noting China's view of Bitcoin as a strategic asset. Paparo affirmed, "Bitcoin is a reality. It is a peer-to-peer zero-trust transfer of value. Anything that supports all instruments of national power for the United States of America is to the good."
The news also references the Mined in America Act, introduced last month by Senators Bill Cassidy and Cynthia Lummis. This legislation aims to address national security concerns over reliance on foreign-manufactured mining equipment by bringing more Bitcoin mining manufacturing back to the US and codifying the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
