Jason Lowery’s Softwar Thesis Echoed in Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing

Correction: This story originally claimed incorrectly that Jason Lowery had been appointed to the position of Special Assistant to the Commander INDOPACOM in April 2026. He actually got the position as early as August 2025.

Jason Lowery, former Deputy Director of Technology & Innovation at the United States Space Force, and author of Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin, announced his role as Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command back in August 2025. This week, his Commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo, spoke at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, mentioning Bitcoin in a positive light, and as a technological tool for “power projection”, terminology popularized by Lowery in his academic work on Bitcoin.

In a LinkedIn update back in August 2025, Lowert shared his honor of receiving the appointment, explaining that “In this new position, I will directly advise and report to the Combatant Commander on strategic priorities affecting the Department of Defense and the Indo-Pacific region.” Lowery added, “It’s a humbling responsibility during a critical time for our national security posture. I’m grateful for the trust placed in me to support this level of leadership, and excited to contribute to the mission.”

Lowery rose to Bitcoin fame as he made the case that Bitcoin is a new landscape of military technology and defense, where power is projected not via bullets, missiles or drones, but by commanding more hashing power, which governs Bitcoin’s proof of work protocol. Those who control enough hashing power can guarantee the confirmation of their Bitcoin transactions, and in extreme cases, those who dominate the hash rate can interfere in the confirmation of their enemies’ transactions. The thesis, which is best understood by reading Lowery’s work, poses Bitcoin as a fundamental change in military technology, akin to the discovery and proliferation of gunpowder or aviation. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee hearing came just days after FT reported that Iran would specifically accept Bitcoin for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. While there have been no reports of the Bitcoin Toll of Hormuz becoming a reality yet, the story made international news and appears to have reached the halls of power in D.C. and the Department of War. While the Gulf states and the Strait of Hormuz fall under a different division of the DoW called CENTCOM, the timing of Admiral Paparo’s Bitcoin comments at the hearing nevertheless demonstrates a recognition of Bitcoin’s strategic value in geopolitics. Lowery is advising command over a wide region, including China, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean regions, many of which benefit tremendously from Gulf oil that passes through Hormuz. Some reports suggest China drew up 42% of its oil from affected Gulf states before the war.