The U.S. Army is taking bold steps to secure critical minerals for national defense, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign sources, particularly China. Mark Mezger, a munitions procurement adviser, emphasizes the need for domestic control over critical minerals, stating, 'We need to come up with a way to make our own (critical minerals) domestically that we can actually monitor and control within our borders.' This initiative is part of a broader strategy to modernize and fortify the Arsenal of Democracy.
The Army's focus is on antimony, a critical component in ammunition production. In collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory and gold mining company Perpetua Resources, the Army is developing the Stibnite Gold Project in central Idaho. This project aims to redevelop an abandoned mine site, Stibnite, to extract gold and antimony sulfide. The Stibnite project boasts the largest identified reserve of antimony in the U.S., estimated at 148 million lbs., and is free from foreign control.
The Trump Administration is actively ensuring funding by acquiring minority stakes in North American rare earth and lithium companies and projects. Simultaneously, U.S. and European companies are forming alliances with miners and refiners to establish magnet supply chains independent of China. The global rare earth supply chain is highly concentrated, as noted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a commentary, highlighting the risks associated with supply concentration.
