SOFTWAR: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin

My goal with this research is to eventually write a book on this subject by converting this thesis into something much shorter, less technical, better edited, and easier to read. To that end, I greatly appreciate any feedback from readers about the concepts presented in this thesis. If you find something interesting during your reading, or if you want me to cut/expand any particular concept, please tag me on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/jasonplowery/) or Twitter (@JasonPLowery) and let me know. I will be checking social media for tags/reviews so any and all feedback will be read. The following is a high-definition & continuously copy-edited version of my thesis submitted to DoD & MIT in February 2023 as the final deliverable of my US national defense fellowship. Each year, the Department of the Air Force selects two officers to serve as US National Defense Fellows. This fellowship is a DoD-sponsored program where mid-career officers attend a graduate-level systems engineering program at MIT to research strategic military applications of emerging technologies. As the US Space Force's first and only US National Defense Fellow, I devoted my fellowship towards researching the national strategic implications of Bitcoin. By the end of this research effort, I concluded that Bitcoin could be one of the most significant military-grade security technologies to emerge in the 21 st century. This document represents my final deliverable to the DoD and contains the information I've shared with the Office of the President of the United States (OPOTUS), Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSECDEF), and Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (OJCS). Please bear in mind that this document was written in 6 months while completing a full courseload of graduate engineering classes at MIT. It's a clunky first draft of a new theory that I intend to shorten and refine over time with the help of your continual feedback and support. Additionally, it should be emphasized that even though I am an active-duty military officer sponsored by the DoD to research Bitcoin at MIT, the theories presented in this thesis are strictly my own personal views based on what I have learned from doing my own academic research. This thesis does not reflect any official position or endorsement of the US Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, or MIT. "In the tradition of E.H. Gombrich, Stephen Hawking, and Alan Weisman-an entertaining and uniquely informed narration of Life's life story. In the beginning, Earth was an inhospitably alien place-in constant chemical flux, covered with churning seas, crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions. Amid all this tumult and disaster, life began. 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Drawing on the very latest scientific understanding and writing in a clear, accessible style, he tells an enlightening tale of survival and persistence that illuminates the delicate balance within which life has always existed"-- Provided by publisher In The Tradition Of Richard Dawkins, Bill Bryson, And Simon Winchester—an Entertaining And Uniquely Informed Narration Of Life's Life Story. In The Beginning, Earth Was An Inhospitably Alien Place—in Constant Chemical Flux, Covered With Churning Seas, Crafting Its Landscape Through Incessant Volcanic Eruptions. Amid All This Tumult And Disaster, Life Began. The Earliest Living Things Were No More Than Membranes Stretched Across Microscopic Gaps In Rocks, Where Boiling Hot Jets Of Mineral-rich Water Gushed Out From Cracks In The Ocean Floor. Although These Membranes Were Leaky, The Environment Within Them Became Different From The Raging Maelstrom Beyond. These Havens Of Order Slowly Refined The Generation Of Energy, Using It To Form Membrane-bound Bubbles That Were Mostly-faithful Copies Of Their Parents—a Foamy Lather Of Soap-bubble Cells Standing As Tiny Clenched Fists, Defiant Against The Lifeless World. Life On This Planet Has Continued In Much The Same Way For Millennia, Adapting To Literally Every Conceivable Setback That Living Organisms Could Encounter And Thriving, From These Humblest Beginnings To The Thrilling And Unlikely Story Of Ourselves. In A (very) Short History Of Life On Earth, Henry Gee Zips Through The Last 4.6 Billion Years With Infectious Enthusiasm And Intellectual Rigor. Drawing On The Very Latest Scientific Understanding And Writing In A Clear, Accessible Style, He Tells An Enlightening Tale Of Survival And Persistence That Illuminates The Delicate Balance Within Which Life Has Always Existed.