The US Military is Running a Bitcoin Node to Test National Security Applications

April 23—U.S. Indo-Pacific Command head Admiral Samuel Paparo said Wednesday the U.S. government is operating a Bitcoin network node as part of a military exercise focused on network security and defense, per The Block. Paparo made the comment while responding to a question from Republican Rep. Lance Gooden about Bitcoin’s national security implications during a Wednesday House Armed Services Committee hearing. “We’re in an experimentation phase right now: operating a Bitcoin network node—not to mine, but to monitor it and conduct operational tests—using the protocol to secure and defend our networks,” he said. Paparo emphasized the military’s interest is purely technical. He told lawmakers Bitcoin’s value to U.S. warfighting capabilities lies in “cryptography, blockchain, and reusable proof of work”—tools to boost both cybersecurity and power projection. “From a military application perspective, my interest in Bitcoin is as a computer science tool,” he noted.