Enter a new realm of cryptocurrencies where Bitcoin plays a major role in cybersecurity and national defense in addition to finances. US Space Force Major Jason Lowery clarifies the surprising significance of Bitcoin by providing a viewpoint that goes beyond money and cents and touches on matters of strategic importance.
In a carefully worded letter to the Defense Innovation Board, Major Lowery fervently argues for the strategic use of the crypto and similar proof-of-work (PoW) systems.
Lowery makes a strong case for these cryptographic systems, arguing that they have enormous potential and significant strategic ramifications. He calls on the government to start investigating in-depth the range of ways that PoW protocols and Bitcoin could advance defense and innovation projects.
Bitcoin’s Military Impact: Effectiveness And Counter-Threat Capabilities
Lowery makes the case that Bitcoin is not only a ground-breaking technology that can improve the resiliency, effectiveness, and transparency of the US military but also a potent weapon to counter the threats posed by adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran in a four-page letter to the US Defense Innovation Board on December 2.
BREAKING: US Space Force Major, Jason Lowery sends open letter about #Bitcoin to DOD’s Defense Innovation Board.
“I contend that reusable proof-of-work networks like #Bitcoin represent an offset strategy for the 21st century.” pic.twitter.com/qiLZ71S5MN
— Dennis Porter (@Dennis_Porter_) December 3, 2023
While the ramifications of Bitcoin for the “monetary system” were widely understood, according to Lowery, few people were aware that the leading cryptocurrency could also be used to secure “any types of data, messages, or command signals.”
The Space Force official described Bitcoin as a cybersecurity “paradigm shift” that was in perfect harmony with the “idea of a strategic offset.”
In this sense, Lowery proposed that Bitcoin and its underlying technology might function as modern weapons, possibly changing the face of cyberwarfare and defense.
Bitcoin slightly below the $42K level today. Chart: TradingView.com
Lowery said Bitcoin is a ground-breaking “macrochip,” a theory that turns the world’s electrical system into a massive, resource-hungry computer. He said that by bringing physical expenses into the digital realm, this novel strategy offers a fresh approach to safeguarding a variety of data over the internet.
Lowery, an Air Force Institute of Technology PhD candidate in engineering management and space operations officer, calls Bitcoin “the most significant innovation in the history of money and accounting” and notes that it will have a huge impact on the “future of warfare.”
Image credit: Gabriel Garcia
Security Warning: Insights On Military Data And Adversarial Exploitation
Lowery had previously written a paper that went on to become an Amazon best-seller. According to the research “Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin,” the crypto might be helpful for military-grade data security.
Lowery also cautions that disregarding or undervaluing Bitcoin can have detrimental effects on the national security and defense of the United States. He lists numerous instances of how adversaries are already taking use of Bitcoin’s benefits. For instance, China controls a significant amount of the network’s processing power due to its supremacy in Bitcoin mining, and Russia uses Bitcoin to finance its cyberwarfare operations.
The use of Bitcoin by Iran to assist its ballistic missile and nuclear projects, as well as to get under US sanctions, was another significant development. North Korea’s theft of Bitcoin from wallets and exchanges in order to fund its weapons programs is also one of the concerns of the Space Force official.
On December 20, 2019, the National Defense Authorization Act became a law, establishing the US Space Force as the first new branch of the armed forces since 1947. Widespread acceptance that space exploration is essential to national security led to the creation of the USSF.
Featured image from US Space Force