The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is directly operating nodes on the bitcoin network and conducting cybersecurity operational tests using the bitcoin protocol.

On April 22, blockchain outlet BeInCrypto reported that Samuel Paparo (새뮤얼 파파로), commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, disclosed this at a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Paparo said the Indo-Pacific Command currently has nodes on the bitcoin network and is running various operational tests to securely protect networks using the bitcoin protocol. He did not disclose the specific scope of the tests but said he could provide details in a classified setting if requested.

Paparo drew a line, saying the research focuses on computer science rather than monetary policy. The key is the potential use of proof-of-work for security. Paparo assessed that proof-of-work has "very important computer science applications for cybersecurity." He explained that it is also meaningful for protecting data and raising the real-world costs an adversary must bear when conducting cyber operations.

The remarks were recorded as the first case of an active U.S. combatant commander publicly mentioning bitcoin from the perspective of a national security asset in an official congressional proceeding.

In the U.S. Congress, bitcoin-related legislation has been pursued, and the idea of building a strategic bitcoin stockpile through an executive order has also been mentioned. Against this backdrop, it emerged that the military has also begun to view bitcoin not simply as a cryptocurrency but as a target for security infrastructure experiments.

The hearing also referenced strategic competition with China. Senator Tommy Tuberville said during questioning that China’s main currency research institute had also produced strategic research related to bitcoin. The Indo-Pacific Command oversees about 380,000 troops in the Asia-Pacific region and is considered the front line of strategic competition between the United States and China.

Discussions about using bitcoin for security purposes have been raised before. Previously, Major Jason Lowery interpreted proof-of-work in the 'Softwar' debate as a means of projecting power in cyberspace. The hearing remarks show that such discussions are moving beyond internal military research to the stage of actual operational testing.

As a result, attention is expected to focus on how much of the test scope the Department of Defense will disclose and how security use of the bitcoin protocol will be linked to the U.S. military’s network defense system.