China’s Halt of Critical Minerals Poses Risk for U.S. Military Programs
The Pentagon and defense contractors are heavily reliant on magnets and rare earth minerals mined or processed in China, which has suspended exports of the materials in an escalating trade war.
What Are Rare Earth Metals, the Exports Halted by China?
China’s new restrictions on exports of the metals could have an impact on the production of everything from LED lights to fighter jets.
U.S. is unable to replace rare earths supply from China, warns CSIS
Rare earths are a group of 17 elements, including neodymium, yttrium, scandium and dysprosium, that are difficult to separate into usable forms. They are not actually rare at all but can be difficult to extract from the earth, and the process of mining and refining them into usable form carries substantial environmental costs.
They are present in almost every form of American defense technology. They can form very powerful magnets, for use in fighter jets, warships, missiles, tanks and lasers. Yttrium is required for high-temperature jet engine coatings; it allows thermal barrier coatings on turbine blades to stop aircraft engines from melting midflight.
According to the Defense Department, every F-35 fighter contains around 900 pounds of rare earth materials. Some submarines need more than 9,200 pounds of the materials.
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| A smelting workshop in China’s Inner Mongolia in 2010. The vast majority of the world’s supply of rare earths is mined in China.David Gray/Reuters |
