{"id":25240,"date":"2022-12-07T20:41:25","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T20:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/12\/07\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:08:47","slug":"mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/federal-oversight\/2022\/12\/07\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Mine it in America \u2014 Securing the US military supply chain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pandemic revealed America\u2019s concerning dependence on foreign adversaries for items we used to \u2014 and should \u2014produce in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our nation\u2019s food supply <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fas.usda.gov%2Fdata%2Fimpacts-and-repercussions-price-increases-global-fertilizer-market&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=OaqBCE9wqBfUi4MCQ7uS%2FI9U5YK1Uju6V4jNsqt1EpM%3D&#038;reserved=0\">depends<\/a> on imported fertilizer foreign adversaries such as Russia. America\u2019s health care system is <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcepr.org%2Fvoxeu%2Fcolumns%2Fus-reliance-other-countries-essential-medical-equipment&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=Giixkel70ucMRasVMls6%2FoX6xVRSKpDtUQy%2B4rzAAYU%3D&#038;reserved=0\">reliant<\/a> upon pharmaceuticals, protective equipment, and technology produced overseas. Our energy supply chains are dependent on imported <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2022%2F10%2F21%2Fsanctions-on-russia-aluminum-could-hurt-global-supply-chains-analysts.html&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=5hkKOKaLpOFp8e4A6ijNhWmD7LwUG2IJW9LQ2nzx%2Fck%3D&#038;reserved=0\">aluminum<\/a> and other metals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And \u2014 most importantly \u2014 our military could not <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airandspaceforces.com%2Farticle%2Frare-earth-uncertainty%2F&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=SDY3Ohm81nMjtV8SAXm2gsKbDEndFrzJ4rCAuL9kTmg%3D&#038;reserved=0\">function<\/a> without imported tungsten, cobalt, and other rare earth elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, every F-35 strike fighter built for our armed forces contains <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airandspaceforces.com%2Farticle%2Frare-earth-uncertainty%2F&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=SDY3Ohm81nMjtV8SAXm2gsKbDEndFrzJ4rCAuL9kTmg%3D&#038;reserved=0\">920 pounds<\/a> of rare earth materials \u2014 the majority of which we import from China. The Department of Defense <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airandspaceforces.com%2Farticle%2Frare-earth-uncertainty%2F&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=SDY3Ohm81nMjtV8SAXm2gsKbDEndFrzJ4rCAuL9kTmg%3D&#038;reserved=0\">needs<\/a> rare earth magnets to build computer screens and hard drives for aircraft and ships. Those same cobalt-based elements are used for stealth technology, F-22 tail fins, laser targeting systems, missile guidance and control motors. The list could go on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/12\/06\/senator-vows-hold-on-military-nominees-over-pentagon-abortion-policy\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22097538611719.jpg_28e674.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Senator vows hold on military nominees over Pentagon abortion policy<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is upset over the military&#039;s new abortion access policy, announced just before the midterm elections.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cobalt and many of the rare earth elements that are <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usgs.gov%2Fnews%2Fnational-news-release%2Fus-geological-survey-releases-2022-list-critical-minerals&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=00B0gQCaq%2FY6h62NdopWSF%2FDIRTModzKqeqqKshFOYc%3D&#038;reserved=0\">listed<\/a> by U.S. Geological Survey as \u201ccritical minerals\u201d are maxed out at 100% imports to the U.S.<i> <\/i>That means our domestic production of those minerals is zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where are we getting our imports? Mostly from Russia, China, and their surrogates around the world. We\u2019re importing these materials from one country waging brutal and unprovoked war on one of our allies and another country with a human rights abuse record that\u2019s too long to list \u2014 not to mention the other nations they prey upon for financial and military gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All the while, America boasts these minerals in abundance right here. This is a disgrace \u2014 and it\u2019s a serious threat to our national security and military preparedness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">America\u2019s enormous mineral wealth is sitting right under its citizens\u2019 feet in vast tracts of federal and state <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gao.gov%2Fproducts%2Fgao-20-461r%23%3A~%3Atext%3DMining%2520on%2520federal%2520lands%2520can%2Cpay%2520the%2520government%2520a%2520royalty.&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=KcPVjf9UdLi0JlAHTpDhJhC87OfndltU3Pj0wPg1HdA%3D&#038;reserved=0\">lands<\/a>. Yet, we <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.federalregister.gov%2Fdocuments%2F2020%2F10%2F05%2F2020-22064%2Faddressing-the-threat-to-the-domestic-supply-chain-from-reliance-on-critical-minerals-from-foreign&#038;data=05%7C01%7Ccary.oreilly%40mco.com%7C2557f7ef370f479e080808dad8897906%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C638060382224109848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&#038;sdata=09gb1jekUlVVPEZZsaffn1zr%2Fb0RCzF2tGuebLUDf9A%3D&#038;reserved=0\">import<\/a> more than 50% of our supply of 31 of the 35 critical minerals as defined by the Department of Interior. We import 100% of our supply of 14 of the same minerals. And our dependence on foreign countries is growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a tragic irony similar to the perceived oil \u201cshortages\u201d in the 1970s and skyrocketing energy prices we face today \u2014 even though America is endowed with near limitless oil and gas wealth. It\u2019s a self-inflicted crisis, and we\u2019re in the same boat with \u201ccritical minerals.\u201d The energy shortages, food price increases, and potential defense materials shortfall all threaten our national security \u2014 and they all have the same solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We should harvest as much food as we can, unleash American energy production, and maximize our mineral mining capabilities. Make as much as possible in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, we\u2019re doing business with nations that run counter to everything we value. When it comes to critical minerals, we\u2019re buying from countries that don\u2019t have humane labor standards. Child labor, forced labor, and slave labor permeate the economies producing the critical materials we\u2019re importing \u2014 and the American consumer is subsidizing their regimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We import from countries that don\u2019t value freedom and democracy \u2014 countries that are outright adversarial to the United States and seek to topple our place in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">America earned her place in world affairs through blood and treasure. And we have maintained that world order to the betterment of human kind. The spread of American democracy and capitalism has lifted more humanity out of misery and poverty than any other system of government or finance the world has ever seen. Yet, our nation\u2019s economic and national security apparatus is at serious risk today, just as in the 1970s, except the stakes are higher given today\u2019s unstable geopolitics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need critical minerals to support and defend the world\u2019s largest, technology-based, environmentally friendly economy and military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need 21st-century critical mineral independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get there, we must disrupt the status quo of the permitting and over-regulation. We need to open modern, technology-driven, environmentally friendly mines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. should responsibly produce critical minerals from America\u2019s vast geologic bounty. The mineral wealth located on federal lands belong to us all. To effectively defend all Americans, we must secure our critical mineral supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This change in course is essential to our economy, national security and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Sen. Tommy Tuberville is Republican from Alabama. He was elected to the Senate in 2020.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have an Opinion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article is an Op-Ed and the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please <a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/?view=cm&#038;fs=1&#038;tf=1&#038;to=cary.oreilly@federaltimes.com\">email C4ISRNET and Federal Times Senior Managing Editor Cary O\u2019Reilly.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every F-35 strike fighter built for U.S. armed forces contains 920 pounds of rare earth materials \u2014 the majority of which is imported from China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":58879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":9,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"9":{"categories":["industry","home","thought-leadership","opinion"],"primary_category":"industry"}}},"categories":[38,31,26,9,22],"tags":[8477,8471],"coauthors":[5868],"class_list":["post-25240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-home","category-opinions","category-federal-oversight","category-thought-leadership","tag-china","tag-commentary"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"W4P5OREAMNAAPNFPMHLYD3YOGE","arc_canonical_url":"\/federal-oversight\/2022\/12\/07\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mine it in America \u2014 Securing the US military supply chain - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every F-35 strike fighter built for U.S. armed forces contains 920 pounds of rare earth materials \u2014 the majority of which is imported from China.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mine it in America \u2014 Securing the US military supply chain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every F-35 strike fighter built for U.S. armed forces contains 920 pounds of rare earth materials \u2014 the majority of which is imported from China.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/federal-oversight\/2022\/12\/07\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-07T20:41:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T16:08:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sen. Tommy Tuberville\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sen. Tommy Tuberville\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/federal-oversight\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/federal-oversight\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/07\\\/mine-it-in-america-securing-our-military-supply-chain\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            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