Skip to main content

DoD on the Block

So I'm not a techie. I know about how technological things work insofar as they serve to create efficiencies. But I don't know the nuts and bolts (or the 1s and 0s) of how technological things actually work. Fortunately, I didn't need to know these things to predict that blockchain would be a big deal when I embarked on this blockchain journey almost 2.5 years ago. There have been many "I told you so!" moments over the course of my journey, and I have another one.

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released a report entitled, "DoD Digital Modernization Strategy." This document CLEARLY doesn't include anything classified or sensitive. However, it does provide some insight into the strategic priorities of the largest federal agency (at least as they relate to digital capabilities). The report identifies four specific initiatives: innovation for advantage, optimization, resilient cybersecurity, and cultivation of talent. Now for my moment--one of the technologies that the DoD is exploring in the context of the "resilient cybersecurity" initiative is blockchain! Specifically, they will be exploring how blockchain can make messaging more secure. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on creating an unhackable code that could work with blockchain technology to provide information on would-be/wannabe/attempted hackers.

I love it. This isn't the first time DoD has lauded the advantages of blockchain, but I was under a rock somewhere the last few times (supply chain, anyone?).

My "I told you so" comes from the fact that many of my friends, family and coworkers to whom I raved about blockchain thought I was a lunatic 2.5 years ago. The strange, concerned and confused looks I'd receive (and still receive, if I'm being honest) when I talked about the promise of blockchain were amusing. It's not just for criminals, folks!

#usecases #blockchain #Government

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Before You Mint Your NFT

With NFT season taking a bit of a breather (kinda), I thought this would be the perfect time to lay out a few things to consider before minting an NFT.  If you missed the frenzy, well, welcome. "NFT" stands for non-fungible token and these digital tokens represent real world ownership and provenance of a particular asset. NFTs are minted (i.e., produced), stored and transacted (bought/sold/traded) on a distributed ledger like blockchain. Some NFTs represent ownership of tangible assets and some NFTs are digital/virtual assets  (yes, a digital piece of art was purchased for $69M). "Non-fungibility" is a scary word but it essentially means that the asset is unique, cannot be interchanged with another asset, and cannot be replicated. Think of NFTs as either collectibles, like artwork and trading cards, or title to tangible/real property, like real estate and cars.  So with all the excitement having simmered down a bit, below are a few things to think about before you
6 comments
Read more

The Rundown on CBDCs

Everyday there is a news report about a country that is "exploring" or "studying" the possibility of developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). In the past few days, I've read articles about Rwanda, Israel and France looking to pilot programs with CBDCs. And yesterday, the Bank of International Settlements announced its backing of the development of CBDCs. With approximately 80% of central banks around the world taking a closer look at CBDCs, now is as good a time as any to learn more about them. What Are They? A central bank digital currency is exactly what it sounds like--a digital currency issued by a central bank. In the same way our central bank, the Federal Reserve, issues the U.S. dollar, it would similarly issue some official U.S. digital currency ('digital dollar'). This is pretty much where the simplicity of it all ends. Things get really hairy (really fast) when central banks have to figure out how CBDCs fit into a traditional financ
9 comments
Read more

New home. Who dis?

This post will be short and not blockchain-related. I recently moved my blog to a new platform so I'm still working out the kinks on the aesthetic aspects. Thanks for your patience!
3 comments
Read more