Pentagon "stocked up" on critical minerals - Plans to buy up to $1 billion worth of raw materials
The US Department of Defense has launched a global campaign to build up a strategic stockpile of critical minerals, aiming to buy up to $1 billion worth of vital raw materials for the defense industry. The effort is aimed at countering China's dominance in the sector.
The initiative, accelerated by the Trump administration, is documented in public notices released by the Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency. It comes after China imposed new restrictions on the export of many of these materials, which are essential for a range of technologies from smartphones to fighter jets.
“The Department of Defense is very focused on building up reserves,” said a former defense official. “They are actively seeking new sources of minerals for military products.”
This week, China announced sweeping new controls on the export of rare earth minerals and related technologies. In response, President Trump announced additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports. “We must not allow Beijing to hold the world hostage,” the US leader said.
Critical minerals are a national security priority for the Pentagon, as they are essential to every weapon system, including radar and missile detection technologies. Some of the metals the US is seeking to secure have not previously been held in reserve.
“The fact that China could stop the supply of these minerals would have a direct and serious impact on the ability of the United States to build the capabilities needed in a strategic conflict,” the analysts explain.
Among the purchases the Pentagon is planning are up to $500 million in cobalt, $245 million in antimony from the American company US Antimony Corporation, and up to $100 million in tantalum.
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