EU, focus on critical subjects - What strategic resources does Europe use in the defense sector?
NATO and the European Union have published lists of raw materials that are critical for defense purposes and technological sustainability. The land, naval, space and weapons sectors need these critical raw materials, according to a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
A modern main battle tank uses raw materials for sensors, weapons, armor, hull, and communications. Sensors are increasingly complex and rely on a range of critical materials.
For example, basic glass and mirrors use silicon and ceramics, while infrared and night vision sights, which are essential in low-visibility environments, can contain mercury, cadmium telluride, germanium, copper, and tantalum.
Copper and germanium are classified as strategic raw materials by the EU, which has a 17% and 42% import dependency for each, respectively. China is the largest global producer of both materials, accounting for an average of 38% of global copper production and 83% of global germanium production between 2016 and 2020.
Modern warships also use a number of critical materials in their construction, although the naval sector uses less than the aerospace, land or weapons sectors.
However, there is still a high demand for many materials considered to have a moderate supply chain risk, such as aluminum, iron, steel and copper. For example, aluminum is widely used in shipbuilding, including decks, superstructure elements and internal partitions.
The European Union is 58% dependent on aluminum imports, with China being its largest global producer.
Between 2016 and 2020, China accounted for an average of 56% of global aluminium production. To mitigate supply risks, the EU is making efforts to promote domestic extraction, processing and recycling of these critical materials.
In addition to the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act of 2024, individual member states are developing their own national strategies. The French Military Programming Law for the period 2024–2030 allows the Ministry of Defense to request the creation of industrial reserves of materials, components and semi-finished products that may be needed by the armed forces.
The Spanish Defense Industrial Strategy 2023 also included references and recommendations to improve and strengthen both the supply chain and the provision of raw materials.
Similarly, Germany's National Strategy for Security and the Defence Industry for 2024 paves the way for the use of a national raw materials fund to strengthen security of supply in the security and defence sector. According to it, there should be improved monitoring of supply chains for critical raw materials required by the defence sector.
Other European countries, including Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, are also developing strategies related to raw materials and the potential exploitation of national resources.
However, specific government documents focused on defense are not yet available.
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