Critical and rare earth minerals are used in a wide range of military applications, from communications equipment and precision-guided weapons to night-vision goggles and stealth technology.
A major part of ensuring America’s national security is addressing dangers before they cause real harm. While threats are sometimes obvious, others often go overlooked and don’t receive the attention they deserve. That’s the case with access to critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, copper, and cobalt.
These elements are essential for making modern technologies, and securing their supply chain should be a top priority.
Reliance on Foreign Imports
Although such critical minerals are an important part of American manufacturing, the country relies mostly on a supply of foreign imports. Domestic production is hampered from a geological standpoint because deposits of many of these critical minerals do not exist in the US in significant quantities.
Additionally, years of stringent environmental regulation have created a reality where the processing of critical minerals and materials must be completed outside America.
For the rest of this column: https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/12/06/mineral-access-national-security/