A United States Space Force officer is urging the Defense Department to formally investigate how Bitcoin's proof-of-work consensus mechanism could bolster national cyber defense capabilities.

In a letter to the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board, Major Jason Lowery explained Bitcoin mining mirrors physical security deterrence strategies employed across other defense domains. He said Bitcoin's costly computing "macrochip" safeguards data and deters adversaries similarly to how military assets deter kinetic attacks.

Lowery stressed vast unrealized potential in harnessing Bitcoin's architecture for cybersecurity, calling it vital to US global leadership. He said it could kickstart a "revolution" securing vulnerabilities plaguing an interconnected digital world.

His recommendations follow an earlier proposal for a Bitcoin-based cyber tool capable of transforming national security, Lowery claimed. With Chinese threats growing, the Space Force officer concluded the military may have already lost time not incorporating Bitcoin's novel defenses.

Separately, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted Bitcoin is the "best defender" of long-term US interests. He argued it could complement the dollar as a check against inflation rather than displace it. Stablecoins will bridge both worlds, Armstrong added.