Admiral Samuel Paparo Says the United States Is Running a Bitcoin Node
According to Samuel Paparo, the U.S. government operates a Bitcoin node for cybersecurity testing, while the military uses Bitcoin’s blockchain and cryptographic features rather than mining or holding it as an asset.
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Fact Check
Three independently fetched social-media posts — x post 2047005139391676788, x post 2047010178877284692, and x post 2047010346485829963 — all relay the same specific quote attributed to Admiral Samuel Paparo about operating a Bitcoin node and conducting operational tests. This consistency suggests the claim may be based on a real underlying statement. However, none of these are primary sources, and no official transcript, hearing video, Department of Defense page, or verified government account was obtained. The search-result-only items from news.bitcoin.com and beincrypto.com suggest wider repetition, but they were not directly validated. Therefore the claim is plausible but not confirmed to the standard of authoritative primary sourcing.
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Summary
U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo said at a congressional hearing that the U.S. government is running a Bitcoin node for cybersecurity-related testing. He said the military uses Bitcoin as a cryptographic and blockchain tool to support network security work, not for mining or accumulating Bitcoin as a financial asset. Paparo also said the GENIUS Act is an important step for preserving dollar dominance, adding a policy dimension to his remarks on the government’s use of Bitcoin-related infrastructure.
Terms & Concepts
- Bitcoin node: A computer running Bitcoin software that validates, stores, and relays blockchain data across the network.
- blockchain: A distributed digital ledger that records transactions in linked blocks across a network of computers.
- GENIUS Act: A U.S. legislative proposal that Paparo described as an important step toward preserving dollar dominance.