National Security and Dependence on Foreign Minerals

For many years, when Americans thought of national security, military power tended to dominate the conversation — focusing on aircraft, naval ships, and the brave service members who protect the nation. However, the notion of security has grown more complex. It now encompasses access to crucial materials that are not only vital for military systems but are also essential for powering data centers, fostering advanced technologies, and supporting the backbone of the U.S. economy.

Yet, concerningly, the United States has allowed itself to become overly reliant on other countries, particularly the People’s Republic of China.

We’ve seen the drawbacks of such dependence before. Take the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. The disruption of global supply chains left American hospitals in desperate need of basic medical supplies like masks and gloves, much of which were produced in China. This situation revealed a harsh truth: outsourcing production of essential goods can inadvertently compromise national security.

Moreover, the pandemic brought to light America’s vulnerability regarding essential minerals. Graphite serves as a prime illustration of this vulnerability.

Many people may not think about graphite beyond its use in pencils, but it is a key component in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, and has applications across various defense technologies, advanced manufacturing, and the rapidly evolving infrastructure necessary for artificial intelligence and data centers.

China has invested significantly to dominate the supply chains for critical minerals, overseeing everything from mining to advanced materials manufacturing. Recently, Beijing has shown that it is prepared to limit exports of strategically vital materials, utilizing this control as Leverage in geopolitical and economic contexts. This should be a wake-up call for the U.S.

No major nation should permit a strategic rival to control the materials crucial for its economic operation and self-defense. Yet, despite the clear importance of graphite, the U.S. continues to rely on foreign sources for its supply, including China.

Frustratingly, the U.S. is not lacking in natural resources, especially in Alaska, which alone has 57 of the 60 minerals deemed critical for America’s security and economic health. Graphite Creek, located on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, has the potential to form the cornerstone of a fully integrated domestic graphite supply chain.

This deposit epitomizes the kind of strategic resource that could reshape discussions on U.S. dependence on foreign minerals. It has been identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as the largest known graphite deposit in the country and among the largest globally, presenting a potential national security asset.

However, tapping into this resource is just part of a larger strategy.

Simply put, America needs more than just local mines; it needs to eliminate its dependence on foreign processing, an area dominated by China. A secure supply chain extends from raw resources to processing and the advanced materials necessary for domestic manufacturing.

The goal is clear: utilize American resources, processed and manufactured within the United States, bolstering both industry and national security.

The challenge lies not in resource availability, but in our capability and readiness to develop it responsibly.

For decades, long and often convoluted permitting processes, regulatory uncertainties, and lack of investment in domestic processing have complicated efforts to kick off significant mining and manufacturing initiatives. This has driven the U.S. to increasingly rely on imports from nations where environmental and labor standards can fall considerably short of American ideals.

This reality neither constitutes sound environmental policy nor effective national security policy.

America possesses the resources, technical know-how, workforce, and investment capital necessary to substantially lessen its reliance on foreign critical minerals. What is lacking is the determination to act.

This entails responsibly developing resources on American soil, building processing capacity, and advanced material manufacturing domestically. Achieving predictable and efficient permitting processes should not come at the expense of robust environmental protections.

There’s been growing acknowledgment within Washington about the significance of critical minerals, which is a promising development. Yet, this recognition must now translate into substantive action.

We cannot afford to spend more years deliberating our reliance on foreign materials while other countries fortify their hold on global supply chains for critical minerals.

We are aware of the risks we face. We know where many resources lie. We possess the technologies for responsible development.

The time has come to act.

The United States rose to its status as a global leader in both economic and military fields largely because previous generations have built a robust domestic industrial base. They recognized the fundamental connection between a nation’s capacity to produce its required materials and its overall strength.

This principle remains as crucial today as ever.

The U.S. should never find itself questioning whether another nation will provide the essential materials needed for defense, economic vitality, or technological progress.

Now is the time to invest in our critical supply chains, starting with establishing the nation’s largest graphite mine—potentially one of the largest worldwide—located in Alaska to help ensure America’s future.