Former U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper (마크 에스퍼) called on the U.S. Senate to quickly act on the CLARITY Act, a bill on U.S. digital asset market structure, saying it is a national security measure rather than a simple financial regulation bill. He said North Korea and China could use cryptocurrencies and digital payment infrastructure to weaken U.S. financial control.

On Aug. 10 local time, blockchain media outlet Cointelegraph reported that Esper argued in a Financial Times opinion piece on Aug. 9 that regulatory gaps in digital assets could affect U.S. geopolitical influence and national security, beyond financial market issues.

Esper singled out China as the biggest strategic threat. He said China is investing in state-led payment systems to bypass U.S. oversight and weaken the dollar's central position. He stressed that "China is the biggest strategic threat of our time" and argued that establishing clear rules for digital asset markets is also important to protect U.S. financial influence.

He also cited North Korea's use of cryptocurrencies as a key rationale. Esper pointed to the possibility that actors such as North Korea's hacking group Lazarus could use cryptocurrencies to evade U.S. financial sanctions and controls. He argued the CLARITY Act could reduce regulatory gaps in digital asset markets and strengthen tools for the U.S. government to respond to illicit financial activity.

He particularly highlighted the U.S. Treasury's special measures authority. Esper described the special measures authority under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act as a powerful tool to respond to bad actors, and argued such financial control tools should also be used in digital asset markets. He said, "The CLARITY Act currently pending in the Senate is not merely a financial services bill," adding, "It is also a national security bill, and it should be understood in that light and passed urgently."

The Senate's timetable for handling the CLARITY Act is also taking shape. John Thune submitted a cloture motion on Aug. 9 to bring the bill to the floor. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill on Sept. 15. As a result, debate over the CLARITY Act appears to be expanding beyond regulatory clarity or industrial competitiveness to issues of national security and strategic competition.

Esper's argument is interpreted as meaning that, as the United States brings the digital asset industry into the institutional system, it should not consider only investor protection and market rules. He said the United States needs to build financial infrastructure that can both prevent cryptocurrencies from being used to evade sanctions or move illicit funds and respond to alternative payment networks pursued by China.

Esper is also serving as an advisory board member at crypto exchange Coinbase Global. His remarks appear to reflect industry demands to secure regulatory clarity for digital assets while maintaining U.S. financial and technological competitiveness.

Still, how much authority and enforcement tools the CLARITY Act will actually provide from a national security perspective is expected to be a key issue in the Senate's review process. A central question is how to link North Korea's use of cryptocurrencies and China's building of alternative payment systems to U.S. digital asset regulation, and whether the United States can promote financial innovation while maintaining its sanctions and financial control capabilities.

With the Senate vote in September approaching, attention is focused on whether the CLARITY Act can expand beyond a bill that sets rules for the U.S. digital asset industry into a financial security measure to counter China and North Korea.