There has been talk about possible Department of Defense (DoD) plans to get involved in cryptocurrency mining since U.S. President Donald Trump set up the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR).
Is the U.S. Military Mining Bitcoin? An X Post Sparked the Debate
Michelle Weekley, an executive at cryptocurrency company Byte Federal, started a controversial conversation on March 17 about the U.S. Weekley asserts that the Department of Defense may be focusing on bitcoin (BTC) mining. She backed her assertions by sharing some odd pictures and wrote, “It looks like the DoD might start bitcoin mining.
Weekley made things even more intriguing by including a picture of a conference room with the caption “The room where it happened.” Matthew Pines, the executive director of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, sent the picture.
She also got people interested by showing a picture of David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine. Bailey added a short philosophical comment below Michael Saylor’s mysterious “Big things are coming” post: “Embrace the Game Theory.” Bailey’s subsequent post, “When you think the show is over, but it’s just beginning,” further enhanced the mystery surrounding the digital collage.
Her carefully chosen gallery also showed off U.S. Space Force officer and aeronautics expert Jason Lowery, whose X exchange displayed enticing opacity. When asked about the change in his profile photo, Lowery responded, “Please allow about three weeks, and it should become clearer.” This reasoning fits with Weekley’s theory.
Could Bitcoin Become a Cyber Defense Weapon?
Her theory is like Lowery’s in “Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin.” Lowery says that using real assets, like energy, to control virtual worlds could make a country’s defenses stronger.
If the Department of Defense (DoD) decided to mine bitcoin, it would use the proof-of-work (PoW) system, which turns kilowatts into cryptographic defenses. This move aligns with Lowery’s plan to use blockchain security as a strategic tool in international politics.
Lowery’s manifesto, published in February 2023, does not just see Bitcoin as a digital currency but also as an electro-cyber shield with deep strategic importance. His main idea is based on how physical force (energy, limited by thermodynamics) and ideological dominance (collective belief) interact with each other, using strategies from game theory.
Barefoot Mining founder Bob Burnett said, “Whether I like it or not, this is bound to happen. The Fed will probably do the same, and so will the CIA and NSA. I think both of them are already doing it.” In Weekley’s thread, another person wrote, “I also think that the DoD has been mining Bitcoin for years under the guise of national security, and software and [Jason Lowery] have been the education vehicles to move the Overton Window.”
Instead of just using common methods like hacking and malware, countries would compete to see who has the most computing power and energy. Any attempt to hack or change the system would be too expensive because of proof-of-work’s real-world costs. Such an arrangement would make it a strong defense for national cybersecurity.
For now, though, the idea is still just a thought experiment—just some thoughts without any action. Still, it’s an intriguing idea to think about.
