The US military is reclassifying Bitcoin. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, recently told the Senate that Bitcoin’s architecture - its peer-to-peer, zero-trust transfer of value - is a strategic tool for national security. This isn’t a price call. It’s a cybersecurity thesis.
On Bitcoin And, the host noted this aligns with theories popularized by Space Force Major Jason Lowery, framing proof-of-work as a hardware-backed defense that imposes physical costs on digital adversaries. The military debate is no longer about Bitcoin’s legitimacy but how its properties deter attacks in great power competition.
“Admiral Samuel Papparo... called Bitcoin a valuable computer science tool for national power and security.”
- Host, Bitcoin And
The geopolitical context is multipolar. On Simon Dixon Hard Talk, the argument is that a transnational financial-industrial complex is deconstructing the dollar-based empire, with regimes changing to manage the transition. Within this shift, hard assets outside traditional systems gain strategic value.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, co-sponsor of the Bitcoin Act, is already pushing for the US Treasury to acquire 1 million Bitcoin, mirroring the strategy for gold reserves. According to the Bitcoin And host, China’s International Monetary Institute is circulating its own research on Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset.
This military and state-level pivot creates a new floor for Bitcoin’s narrative. It’s not just an opt-out for individuals, as Dixon advocates, but an instrument being evaluated for power projection. The ledger is now part of the SITREP.
