‘On par with what the DoD pursued during the Cold War’: Pentagon’s war stockpile plan hits a minerals wall
One defense expert says the scale of the planned effort is “on par with what the DoD pursued during the Cold War.” The minerals may be the hardest part.
Key points
- forces operating if a conflict disrupts domestic power grids and manufacturing supply chains, and it is the same program behind the Pentagon’s push for major bases to plan for 90 days without the grid.
- imported about $60 billion worth of critical minerals other than rare earths, including nickel, lithium, cobalt, graphite, and tungsten, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
- A major war could further disrupt overseas production and shipping routes, making it harder for the Pentagon to replenish its stockpiles.
The Pentagon wants to stockpile enough critical minerals, fuel, and munitions on American soil to keep fighting a major war even if cyberattacks and sabotage knock out factories and power grids at home.
During the Cold War, the Pentagon stored as much or more war matériel overseas, near anticipated battlefields in Eastern Europe or Northeast Asia, Clark said.
Additional details
- produces less than 1% of the most common type of rare-earth magnet it uses, and China, which dominates the processing of many critical minerals, has kept American companies short even in peacetime.
- Why a $2 billion tungsten deal won’t fill the stockpile soon Tungsten, a stockpiling priority Clark identified, illustrates why building reserves takes more than government spending.
- To reduce foreign dependence, Clark said, the Pentagon is pursuing a dual approach: building raw-material reserves while funding domestic mining and processing capacity.
- Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pressed Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to fully carry out Beijing’s commitments on rare earths and other critical minerals.
- America makes less than 1% of its most common rare-earth magnet Building stockpiles on the scale Clark described runs into a stark industrial reality: America’s defense industry remains deeply reliant on foreign supply chains for its raw materials.
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