The Pentagon announced on Monday that it plans to invest $1 billion in critical minerals in 2025. The investments are part of efforts to secure the supply of materials essential for national security, including those used in military and defense technologies. This initiative is motivated by the increasing importance of minerals in technologies used in electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, advanced computing, and weapons systems.
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Pentagon To Invest $1 Billion in These 17 Critical Minerals
Below is the full list of critical minerals that the Pentagon will invest $1 billion in:
- Rare Earth Elements (REEs)
– Neodymium – Used in high-strength permanent magnets.
– Dysprosium – Used to enhance magnets’ performance at high temperatures.
– Terbium – Often used in electronics and display technologies.
– Lanthanum – Critical for batteries and hydrogen storage.
– Samarium – Used in magnets and energy-efficient lighting. - Lithium
- Cobalt
- Nickel
- Graphite
- Copper
- Aluminum
- Vanadium
- Tin
- Tungsten
- Manganese
- Zinc
- Uranium
- Antimony
- Platinum Group Metals (PGMs)
– Platinum
– Palladium
– Ruthenium - Indium
- Germanium
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The Pentagon will invest $1 billion in the critical minerals to not be dependent on China for procurement. China now dominates the rare earth metals sector and is tightening the supply to the West. The Xi Jinping administration is leveraging its resources to dictate the terms of trade with the US. This met with Trump’s ire, and he announced 100% tariffs on all Chinese goods entering the US.
A former defense official said to the Financial Times that the Pentagon is serious about the critical minerals investments. “They are incredibly focused on the stockpile,” he said. “They’re definitely looking for more, and they’re doing it in a deliberate and expansive way, and looking for new sources of different ores needed for defense products.”
Trump made it clear that the Pentagon must not depend on China for the critical minerals supply. “There is no way that China should be allowed to hold the world captive, but that seems to have been their plan,” he said, imposing 100% tariffs on the Communist country.
