US military confirms operation of Bitcoin node for network security

The US military is running a Bitcoin node. Not to stack sats, not to mine coins, and definitely not because someone at the Pentagon discovered crypto Twitter. Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, confirmed during Congressional testimony that INDOPACOM is operating a live node on the Bitcoin network for experimental cybersecurity purposes. It is the first time a US combatant commander has publicly acknowledged military involvement with the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network. What Paparo actually said Admiral Paparo testified before both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees in April 2026, with the House testimony coming on April 22. The disclosure came in response to inquiries from Representative Lance Gooden, who pressed the admiral on Bitcoin’s relevance to military operations. Paparo described Bitcoin as an essential tool for cryptography, blockchain technology, and proof-of-work mechanisms. His framing was deliberate: the military’s interest lies in the network’s monitoring capabilities and operational tests aimed at securing digital infrastructure, not in accumulating Bitcoin as a financial asset. The initiative falls under what INDOPACOM classifies as an ...