Top U.S. officials are increasingly putting Bitcoin (BTC) at the center of national security discussions, and Rep. Lance Gooden says the shift is more than just political rhetoric.
In comments published on Thursday, the Texas Republican argued that the largest cryptocurrency has become a “geopolitical weapon” used – in his opinion – simultaneously – by many opponents.
Multilateral security of Bitcoin employ
Gooden’s comments were confirmed by Pentagon leadership. According to following TFTC’s reports, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told him that the Department of Defense was actively engaged in Bitcoin in covert operations aimed at countering what Hegseth described as China’s “digital authoritarianism.”
Gooden directly quoted Hegseth, saying: “I have long been an enthusiast for the potential of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and a lot of the things we are doing to enable or defeat it are secret efforts that are ongoing within our department, which gives us a lot of leverage in a lot of different scenarios.”
In the last ones Senate testimonyAdmiral Samuel Paparo – commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command – described Bitcoin as having “incredible potential” as a tool for cybersecurity and broader strategic applications.
Paparo told the Senate: “We now have a node in the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin has a direct impact on power projection.”
Against this backdrop, Gooden outlined what he sees as a multi-front national security landscape for Bitcoin. He claimed that Iran did demanding Bitcoin as a toll for crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
BPI’s numbers support Gooden’s claim
The Republican also claimed that hackers linked to North Korea are using Bitcoin ransomware campaigns. He also said that “China is believed to be accumulating significant resources as part of its strategic reserve.”
Gooden made his conclusion clear: “Over the past decade, Bitcoin has evolved from a marginal asset to a national security issue.”
The geopolitical angle is confirmed by estimates from supporters and political groups in the industry. According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), China holds approximately 194,000 BTC, while the United States holds approximately 328,000 BTC.
For Gooden, these numbers highlights the change he believes is taking place: Bitcoin is no longer treated as a speculative side item in finance committees.
Instead, he described the market’s leading cryptocurrency as an instrument that could emerge during interrogations before the armed services – as an asset relevant to power projection, economic conflict and reserve accumulation.
At the time of writing, BTC is trading around $76,384, up a modest 1% over the last 24 hours after Wednesday’s probe of the $75,000 support level. The key level to watch for the cryptocurrency is currently around $80,000 – a level that has been elusive for BTC since early February.
Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
