Dwindling US Stockpiles of Minerals for Military Use Should Be a Cause for Concern

A man driving a front loader shifts soil containing rare earth minerals to be loaded at a port in Lianyungang, China, in a file photo. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

It seems implausible that now, with China dominating global mineral production and the United States vulnerable to a cutoff of imported minerals, the United States has allowed its military stockpile of critical raw materials for national defense to dwindle.