US defence reliance on imported key minerals is a risk

Significance The neglect of domestic mining since the 1980s has left the US military reliant on a relatively small number of foreign suppliers for critical minerals and rare earths needed to build aircraft, tanks and satellites and to manufacture a range of munitions. Geopolitical change threatens the supply of some. Impacts The US Department of Energy in May joined the Department of Defence in co-funding domestic mining projects targeting strategic materials. The US Defence Production Act has to ensure supply chain reliability and includes Canadian, Australian and UK firms as ‘domestic sources’. The US-led Mineral Strategic Partnership aims to align the interests of Western allies with those of the nations supplying key materials.