{"id":1962,"date":"2026-03-05T07:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T07:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=1962"},"modified":"2026-03-05T07:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T07:25:29","slug":"pentagon-invites-proposals-to-mine-and-process-key-minerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=1962","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon invites proposals to mine and process key minerals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON:<\/strong> The United States Department of Defense has asked mining companies to submit proposals aimed at boosting domestic supplies of 13 critical minerals used in semiconductors, weapons systems and other advanced technologies, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The request was issued last Friday to members of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), a network of more than 1,500 companies, universities and institutions that support the US military supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon invited proposals by March 20 for projects that could mine, process or recycle a group of strategic minerals considered vital for national security and defence manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list includes arsenic, bismuth, gadolinium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, nickel, samarium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium and zirconium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States currently relies heavily on imports for most of these minerals, while China remains the dominant global producer of many of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Projects selected under the initiative could receive development funding ranging from $100 million to more than $500 million, with the Pentagon requesting detailed cost estimates including labour and material expenses for mining and processing facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials did not specify why the 13 minerals were selected, although several \u2014 including germanium, graphite and yttrium \u2014 have been subject to export restrictions by China in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry experts warn that shortages of certain materials, particularly yttrium, could disrupt sectors such as aerospace. The rare earth element is used in specialized coatings that protect engines and turbines from extreme temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies have already expressed interest in participating in the programme. Guardian Metal Resources plans to seek funding for two tungsten mining projects in Nevada, while American Tungsten is preparing a proposal for its planned tungsten mine in Idaho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Colorado-based Energy Fuels said it is developing facilities to process gadolinium and samarium by 2027 and is also considering yttrium processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy Fuels Chief Executive Officer Mark Chalmers said strengthening domestic supply chains for critical minerals was essential for national security and economic stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The request marks the latest effort by the administration of Donald Trump to increase US access to strategic resources. Last month, officials launched a $12 billion minerals stockpile backed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States and proposed creating a minerals trading bloc with more than 50 allied countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separately, the Defense Logistics Agency has also sought information from mining companies regarding potential acquisitions of lithium, chromium and tellurium for military stockpiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON: The United States Department of Defense has asked mining companies to submit proposals aimed at boosting domestic supplies of 13 critical minerals used in semiconductors, weapons systems and other… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1532,1531,1533,1124,1530],"class_list":["post-1962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-china-minerals-supply","tag-critical-minerals","tag-global-supply-chain","tag-pentagon","tag-us-defense-industry"],"yoast_head":"\nPentagon invites proposals to mine and process key minerals - World Watch Alert<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"US Pentagon seeks proposals from mining companies to boost domestic production of 13 critical minerals used in semiconductors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=1962\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon invites proposals to mine and process key minerals - 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