The U.S. Department of Defense is seeking to establish a blockchain messaging system, and American soldiers will use blockchain

A major U.S. defense agency dedicated to advanced research and development is now looking to create a secure blockchain-based messaging system.

The news comes from the official website of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DAPRA), which is an office under the U.S. Department of Defense and has long played an important role in promoting emerging technologies.

One of DARPA's most famous projects is ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet.

According to a notice posted on DARPA’s website, they are looking for a “secure messaging system” that will use a distributed ledger to facilitate the dissemination of cryptographic secrets in a transparent manner.

The notice explained:

"The Department of Defense is in urgent need of a secure messaging and transaction platform that can be accessed through a web browser or a standalone native application. The platform separates the creation of a message from its secure delivery to its reception and decryption."

DARPA envisions this project as three phases.

The first step will focus on developing a system "built on the framework of existing blockchains," which can be used directly or inspired by existing blockchains such as the Bitcoin blockchain.

This will be followed by the creation of prototypes and commercial-scale versions of the network in a process of development and deployment.

Possible applications

According to DARPA, the system they propose could be a way for various offices across the Department of Defense to interact securely with each other.

Some special applications include using the network system to organize satellite communications or facilitate cross-departmental procurement.

The notice stated:

“By doing so, important components of the DoD logistics infrastructure can be decentralized and ‘smart documents and contracts’ can be sent and received securely and instantly, thereby reducing exposure to hackers and unnecessary DoD logistics response communications delays. For example, a Military Interagency Purchase Request (MIPR) can be implemented via a secure distributed ledger.”

DARPA also says that due to the transparent nature of these distributed ledgers, oversight of these procurement requests can be amplified.

These networks can also be used for battlefield applications. According to DARPA, the messaging system could be used for troop communications.

DARPA said:

“Ground forces in a denial communications environment now have a secure way to communicate with headquarters. DoD logistics managers can rest assured that their logistics systems will be efficient, timely, and secure.”