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Is Bitcoin Warfare? With Jason Lowery

Peter McCormack

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Is Bitcoin Warfare? With Jason Lowery - WBD660 Peter McCormack

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Jason Lowery is a Major in the US Space Force and the author of Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin. In this interview, we discuss how he is building the case within the US Department of Defence that Bitcoin represents a new form of digital warfare that the US government needs to embrace to secure its power projection in cyberspace.

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Jason Lowery burst onto the Bitcoin scene in August 2021. When a senior member of the US Space Force enters the Bitcoin debate, it tends to turn heads! But, it was his novel projections of what value Bitcoin presents to society that generated interest and controversy. Bitcoiners have long espoused Bitcoin as a peaceful revolution. Jason thinks Bitcoin can be used as a tool of warfare. 

In Softwar, Jason’s recently released book on the national strategic significance of Bitcoin, he explains the background of modern warfare, tracing its roots back to the struggle for survival in all forms of life. From single-cell organisms upwards, all of life is involved in a fight for control over resources and territory. Competition has resulted in an ecological arms race manifested through evolutionary cycles of improvements in physical power and the projection of that power.
Softwar explains that humans are just another life form involved in this competition for survival.  Humans, however, have become increasingly efficient at power projection techniques, from wielding fire to using nuclear weapons. Now, as we accelerate through the digital age, humans need to develop and harness new and innovative methods to maintain their advantages over adversaries. 

In his role within Space Force, which is developing the means to project power beyond our planet, Jason has been contemplating what other tools will be required as another arena for the competition opens up: cyberspace. Jason argues that Bitcoin has the potential to be a revolutionary cybersecurity system. Proof of Work is an innovation that moves the fight to the enemy, imposing a cost on those wishing to undertake an attack. 

Softwar is a call to action for the US Department of Defence to adopt Bitcoin as a tool of warfare in the new cyberspace battlefield. Whilst designed to secure money, PoW can, in theory, be used to secure other forms of data. Whether you agree with this assertion or not, Jason is making progress within the DoD in arguing Bitcoin’s utility makes it too important for the Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve jurisdiction. And who would bet against the DoD in a fight!

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00:01:25: Introductions
00:07:24: The biological evolution of warfare
00:18:18: Offensive vs defensive actions, and projection of force
00:33:06: How humans differ from animals, and the use of deterrents
00:41:34: The role of tactical nuclear weapons
00:51:08: The US Space Force
01:01:55: Jason's role in Space Force, and Bitcoin as a weapon
01:15:06: Cyberspace's wall of defence
01:23:12: Securing your data, and proof of work
01:47:40: Different descriptions of Bitcoin for different audiences
01:53:22: Bitcoin is Bitpower
02:00:34: Framing the power of Bitcoin for the US Government
02:09:49: Jason's progress in addressing his thesis
02:17:22: How feeds work on social media
02:27:46: Final comments

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