The U.S. military is running a node on the Bitcoin network as part of operational testing around cybersecurity and network defense, according to Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific.
What the admiral told Congress
Paparo made the disclosure during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, responding to questions from Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) about Bitcoin’s national security implications.
He stated:
“Presently we’re in experimentation. We have a node on the Bitcoin network right now. We’re not mining Bitcoin, we’re using it to monitor, and we’re doing a number of operational tests to secure and protect networks using the Bitcoin protocol.”
The comment offers a rare public glimpse into how the U.S. military may be evaluating Bitcoin beyond its role as a financial asset.
A computer science tool, not a reserve asset
Paparo was clear that the military’s interest is technical rather than financial.
He told lawmakers that Bitcoin’s value to America’s combat forces lies in “cryptography, a blockchain, and reusable proof of work” as tools that could help secure networks and support the projection of power:
“From the military application standpoint, my interest in Bitcoin is as a computer science tool.”
Gooden had raised the issue in the context of digital competition with China, asking whether maintaining an edge in bitcoin holdings — much like gold or oil — would benefit the United States.
Paparo did not engage that framing directly, steering the conversation instead toward Bitcoin’s protocol design and cybersecurity relevance.
Dollar dominance and crypto policy
Paparo also tied the exchange to the dollar’s global role, saying he supports “anything that maintains our own dollar dominance” and pointed to the GENIUS Act as a step in that direction.
The remarks come as crypto policy in Washington is picking up pace, with renewed pressure on stablecoin and broader market-structure legislation from lawmakers and industry groups.
