Dwindling U.S. Stockpiles of Minerals for Military Use Should Be a Cause for Concern
Heartland Author
March 7, 2024
By Jim Constantopoulos
It seems implausible that now, with China dominating global mineral production and the U.S. vulnerable to a cutoff of imported minerals, the U.S. has allowed its military stockpile of critical raw materials for national defense to dwindle.
Hard as it might seem to believe, we do not have a clear national policy for mineral production, hindering our stockpile’s ability to satisfy mineral demand at key U.S. industrial sectors during a national emergency. Absent actions to maintain the defense stockpile at safe levels, the U.S. could be ill-prepared for a defense sector more reliant on batteries and renewable energy technologies — let alone a conflict with the world’s mineral superpower, China. The Defense Department has said that if strained relations with China turn into a military conflict, the U.S. would have shortfalls in 69 minerals, most of them used in weapons production.
For some minerals and metals, U.S. production has stopped completely. For example, the U.S. supply of niobium, which is used in steel and as a superalloy, has not been mined in the U.S. since 1959. Bismuth is used in U.S. defense systems, but it is not stockpiled. Moreover, in the event of a mineral shortage, the U.S. could not depend on its closest allies for critical raw materials. NATO has limited mineral production. The European Union imports between 75% and 100% of most metals it consumes, and neither the EU nor its member countries have stockpiles. Nor do Canada or Great Britain have mineral stockpiles.
https://heartlanddailynews.com/2024/03/dwindling-u-s-stockpiles-of-minerals-for-military-use-should-be-a-cause-for-concern/
