Enhancing National Security

In uncertain times, U.S. mining provides essential elements for safeguarding our nation.

Despite being home to one of the world’s leading minerals reserves, cumbersome permitting processes contribute to the U.S. remaining import-dependent for 46 key metals and minerals –100 percent import-dependent for 17 of those. Import reliance subjects our supply chains to geopolitical instability and supply disruption.

Our Armed Forces rely on domestic metals and minerals for sophisticated weapons systems and safe transport of our troops. Our abundant supplies of metals and minerals minimize our reliance on foreign countries for these vital resources used in tanks, aircraft carriers, jets and submarines.

For example, beryllium is used to reduce weight and improve guidance performance in fighter jets and NASA technologies such as the mirrors on the James Webb Space Telescope. And metals such as copper, lead and nickel are used in military gear, weapons systems and other defense technologies.

America’s security depends on our ability to access and utilize the domestic energy and minerals resources that are abundant in the U.S.

    Member Feature Story

    Cobalt and Nickel to Support Defense

    The Doe Run Company has announced a $7 million award from the Department of Defense to construct and commission a plant for cobalt and nickel products. The facility is planned to be constructed in Missouri. Cobalt and nickel are essential to national security, and sourcing materials within the U.S. is... Read More

    March 19, 2024

    Enhancing National Security

    Rare Earths to Develop Defense Projects

    Rare earth minerals or elements, a group of 17 different metals, are critical to defense, and can be found in lasers, precision-guided weapons, fuel cells, magnets for motors and other devices. That’s why the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) created the Environmental Microbes as a BioEngineering... Read More

    December 06, 2021

    Lithium Batteries in Defense

    The U.S. Department of Energy released goals outlining the importance of domestic supply chains for minerals and metals like lithium. In the news for its use in electric vehicles, lithium is also crucial in a defense capacity, and has been for a long time. Lithium batteries are found in nearly every... Read More

    October 20, 2021

    Gold Plating in Defense

    The Pogo gold deposit in Alaska has developed over millions of years, but the mine there today is owned and operated by Northern Star Resources Limited. It became sole owner in 2018, and gold ore is currently mined at a rate of around 3,300 short tons per day. Processing occurs in Pogo as well, with... Read More

    August 11, 2021

    Copper Supports Our Troops

    Copper is a vital input for our national defense. It’s used in naval vessels, Coast Guard ships and Air Force aircrafts. It’s a tough yet malleable metal, and its widespread use is a testament to its value. In order to properly support our troops, we need copper supply here in the U.S. Fortunately, there... Read More

    June 07, 2021

    Newmont, Gold in Defense

    Minerals and metals are necessary components in much of the technology used for national defense. Securing the supply chains for those components has been recognized as a vulnerability by the U.S. military, and concerns around the issue were heightened by the pandemic. Many of the minerals needed for... Read More

    May 07, 2021