economy
February 13, 2026
China's mineral monopoly is putting our national security at risk
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes nearly every aspect of American life, a less visible but far more consequential challenge is emerging. The critical minerals that are essential to the weapons systems and platforms that underpin U.S. national security are also instrumental in powering the AI technological surge. Right now, access to these minerals is dominated by a single foreign source.
TL;DR
- Critical minerals are essential for both AI technology and U.S. national security weapons systems.
- China currently dominates the processing and refining of these critical minerals.
- The U.S. lacks the industrial midstream capacity to process raw minerals into usable materials.
- Legislation like the SECURE Minerals Act is a step, but stockpiling alone is insufficient.
- Rebuilding domestic processing, recycling, and advanced manufacturing is necessary for supply chain resilience.
- Government investment and private sector execution are both required to build durable capacity.
- Ignoring the barriers in midstream manufacturing guarantees continued dependence on China.
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