Bitcoin mining to replace armed conflict, Space Force major says
Bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, has recently been spotlighted by U.S. politicians and military departments. In a surprising turn of events, Pentagon has been called to extensive bitcoin mining instead war.
U.S. Space Force Major Jason Lowery has suggested that proof-of-work Bitcoin mining could replace armed conflict in the future. Lowery explained that Bitcoin represents a crucial national strategic imperative that the U.S. should adopt as quickly as possible to avoid losing its position as a global superpower in the 21st century.
Lowery’s “Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin” suggests that the U.S. should consider stockpiling and promoting Bitcoin mining within the country. In addition, he argues that Bitcoin should be given Second Amendment protections as it can serve as a tool for self-defense.
The increasing popularity and use of Bitcoin in global finance have not gone unnoticed by the U.S. military. The U.S. Department of Defense sees Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and ability to be used anonymously as a major security threat. As such, the Pentagon is interested in Bitcoin and believes establishing dominance in the Bitcoin network could give the U.S. military a significant advantage over its enemies.
Mining bitcoin instead of going to war may seem to be a far-fetched idea for the military, but it is not as absurd as it may first appear. Mining Bitcoin requires massive computational power, which the U.S. military has access to.
By mining Bitcoin, the military could establish dominance in the Bitcoin network, making it more difficult for hackers and criminals to use Bitcoin for illegal activities. This, in turn, could help prevent future conflicts.
The suggestion of mining Bitcoin instead of going to war highlights the growing importance of Bitcoin in global politics and warfare. The U.S. military’s interest in Bitcoin may signal a shift in how future conflicts are settled.
Last year, Mark Flood, a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), said that the agency had a program to map out the crypto universe in detail and to use the data for insights into traditional financial markets.
This move demonstrates federal agencies’ increasing efforts to combat the use of cryptocurrencies by rogue regimes, terrorists, and other criminal actors to fund their operations.
Bitcoin in U.S. Politics
Bitcoin has also been a contentious issue in U.S. politics, with politicians from both parties making Bitcoin a central issue in their campaigns. Even U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order related to cryptocurrency last year, indicating his administration’s intention to regulate the crypto industry. However, the resistance from the crypto community suggests that this move may be seen as a secret war on the industry.
Another politician, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, incorporated a quote from a recent Politico profile into her re-election campaign that describes her as “building an anti-crypto army.” This move has fueled speculation that the U.S. is waging war on cryptocurrencies.
Similar to Biden’s executive order, Warren’s statement has raised concerns among the crypto community, as she has been a vocal critic of the industry’s perceived lack of regulation and oversight.
As Bitcoin gains wider acceptance and becomes integrated into the financial system, policymakers and politicians seek to regulate the crypto industry to prevent its use in illegal activities.
However, regulating a decentralized currency like Bitcoin could be challenging and may lead to tensions between the industry and the government. Another possibility is that the government may start using Bitcoin to fund military operations or engage in cyber warfare.
