How Blockchain Is Being Used by Global Militaries

By S G Rickman On Oct 28, 2022

From maritime to aviation, blockchain technology is increasingly being used in vital aspects of global life. Now, it’s used in global defence and military fighting forces.

Blockchain is a technological tour de force that is increasingly being branded as the new internet, one that is more powerful than the one we know and use today. All of this reputation has been developed in just over a decade of blockchain being around. Not bad, right?

Of course, when the blockchain first hit the financial market, both it and the digital currencies hosted on it were laughed off by skeptics. These days, however, it is increasingly difficult to ignore the power of blockchain, from its use in medical care to its role in unbiased voting mechanisms.

“Digital technologies have been transforming warfare since the 1990s, so emerging technologies such as blockchain have the potential to define the war industry over the coming decades.”

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen

The capabilities of the blockchain are enormous. We’ve already seen it being used in everything from fighting online piracy and authenticating pieces of art to securely storing digital files in an unrivalled way. But what about the realm of global defense in the form of a military?

From America and other NATO countries to their military rivals of Russia and China, many global countries are becoming interested in implementing blockchain technology in their armies to make them more efficient, secure and, most importantly, stronger than the rest.

What Can Blockchain Do For a Military?

Through the implementation of blockchain technology, a modern military force can be benefited from things like

Combating online attacks through cybercriminals dispatched by enemy nations or terrorist organisations.
Defending vital weapons systems such as nuclear deterrents from enemies.
Validating commands and intelligence in global conflicts.
Management of military logistics and supply chains.

As modern warfare moves into the future, the management of military logistics and supply chains becomes an increasingly worrying issue. Especially as many components of these supply chains are now private business enterprises and susceptible to more risks than a government organization.

Take, for example, 3D printers. In the near future, the U.S. Military is planning to introduce 3D printers as a piece of vital equipment for their troops for a range of innovative uses, such as manufacturing spare parts for planes and tanks in the field. Cool, right?

Well, with blockchain technology, it is. But not so much without it. If these 3D printers are hacked by the enemy, they’re not only rendered useless, but the enemy now has access to the specifications of the U.S. Military’s tanks, planes, and other equipment. Thus, they need to be protected. This is where blockchain comes in.

By hosting this example military supply chain on a blockchain, it cannot be entered through a single computer. Instead, an enemy hacker will need to attack and eliminate the entire network. This is an immense task that will take untold resources and time. To put it into perspective, just look at Bitcoin. In its entire existence, nobody has been able to successfully hack it. To avoid scams and extortionate fees, most crypto experts will recommend a globally respected, well-established, and beginner-friendly platform such as Bitcoin-up.io.

NATO Is Eyeing Up Blockchain Technology

NATO countries, including the U.S., are currently researching numerous ways to incorporate blockchain into their forces. In section 1646 of the 2018 National Security Doctrine Act, issued by the U.S. Congress, blockchain technology is included as something the country’s military needs to invest its attention into.

And the interest has already been invested. The United States Naval Aviation Command has already made waves (excuse the pun) by incorporating blockchain into its maritime aviation operations. Their aim is to improve their monitoring and tracking of spare parts for their aircraft and achieve lower operating costs.

In addition, the U.S. The Department of Defense (DoD) has also publicly made clear that they intend to incorporate the blockchain into its supply chain operations. More than $100 billion moves through the DoD supply chain every year. Despite this, it is pockmarked by weaknesses and dangerous flaws. It’s hoped that blockchain has the ability to fix all of these issues.

And then, there’s the explosive elephant in the room: Nuclear weapons. It’s now public knowledge that, back in 2016, the Ministry of Defense-managed Department of Advanced Research Projects (DARPA) was studying how to use blockchain technology to add a watertight seal of protection on their sensitive data surrounding lethal weapons, such as the access and launch codes for intercontinental nuclear missiles.

But Wait, There’s Competition!

It should come as no surprise that with technology as promising as the blockchain, there is increasing competition between global armies in their race to adopt it in a range of military operations. The first force to use it more effectively naturally gains an upper hand on its adversary.

One of NATO’s main adversaries, The Russian Federation, is equally interested in using blockchain for its enormous military. This was confirmed back in 2018 following the creation of a laboratory for the study of protection against cyber threats in Russia.

This heavily invested-in lab was designed to study, research and implement blockchain technology in Russia’s mission to stock cyber-attacks on its military infrastructure. But that’s not all.

To facilitate highly secure, seamless, and clear communication on the battlefield between different sections of its military, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is also creating sophisticated encryption algorithms that heavily rely on decentralized blockchain tech.

And then there’s China. An increasingly vocal power on the world stage both financially and militarily, China has delved into using blockchain tech for its enormous army despite banning cryptocurrency across the country. In fact, China’s research into blockchain technology began in 2016 when it began to create a blockchain-based military logistics system.

Despite the ban on crypto, China has introduced an incentive and reward system for serving military members which are also created on the basis of blockchain technology.

Conclusion: The Future Of War Will Be Decentralized

As with countless other sectors, the benefits of blockchain are increasingly being seen as attractive by global military forces. It’s clear to see that it’s very possible the future of modern warfare will be decentralized and run on the blockchain. The question is, who will be the first to utilize it to its full extent?

If this happens, the value of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin will undoubtedly surge in value. If you’re one of the innovative people who can see the future in decentralized technology and crypto and wish to invest in its future, then make sure you do it properly.

But of course, the future of blockchain and crypto looks bright, but always be aware of the risks involved before you decide to invest. The prices of blockchain-based assets can rise and fall drastically. So always be prepared to ride out the storm and never invest more funds than you can afford to use.

The post How Blockchain Is Being Used by Global Militaries appeared first on Analytics Insight.

From maritime to aviation, blockchain technology is increasingly being used in vital aspects of global life. Now, it’s used in global defence and military fighting forces.

“Digital technologies have been transforming warfare since the 1990s, so emerging technologies such as blockchain have the potential to define the war industry over the coming decades.”

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen