The US Senate Committee on Armed Services recommends exploring blockchain technology for supply chain management and other national security applications.
July 9 marked the report’s publication by the US Senate Committee on Armed Services for the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The report contained specific authorizations for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-wide programs.
The committee acknowledged the potential of blockchain technology to improve the supply channels of the United States national defense and economic competitiveness:
According to the committee, blockchain technology has the potential to improve the cryptographic integrity of the defense supply chain, reduce the risk of the manipulation or corruption of specific categories of data by near-peer competitors, and improve data integrity.
The Senate committee also hopes that the Department of Defense (DoD) will investigate blockchain applications to “achieve national security objectives and to generate secure, transparent, accountable, and auditable data regarding supply chains.”
To facilitate this endeavor, the committee report instructed Austin to deliver a briefing by April 1, 2025.
A briefing on blockchain technology must encompass six critical discoveries, including:
“A plan for pilot programs or research and development efforts to explore the use of blockchain technology in national security applications, including supply chain management, cybersecurity for critical infrastructure assets, and procurement auditability.”
Other options include:
- Identifying the benefits and risks of blockchain in supply chain tracking and management.
- Analyzing the current status of blockchain adoption in the supply chain industry and foreign countries such as China and Russia.
- Determining feasibility and cost estimates.
Although members of the US Senate committee are considering the adoption of blockchain technology in the near future, US legislators have also begun to promote the adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
According to a July 8 update to the campaign website of Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee has approved a draft of a policy platform that includes support for Bitcoin mining and cryptocurrencies.
The updated platform stated, “We will protect the right to mine Bitcoin and guarantee that every American can self-control their digital assets and conduct transactions without government surveillance and control.”