Power Elements: Rare Earths Supply Chain Security in an Age of US-China Rivalry, explains why America is dependent on Chinese rare earths/critical metals.

Defense Metals Corp., Ucore Rare Metals, Geomega Resources (OTCBB:DFMTF, UURAF, GOMRF)

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES, March 6, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hay Seward released its first report on rare earths supply chain security today.

The report, Power Elements: Rare Earths Supply Chain Security in an Age of US-China Rivalry, traces how America became so dependent on China for rare earths and many other critical tech metals.

The report explains how China captured much of the rare earth downstream supply chain including crucial permanent magnets. This is connected to the blunder of America moving its manufacturing and industrial base to China and Asia over the past three decades.

China is a supply chain superpower - a key advantage for China and a vulnerability for America. Supply chain security is just one of the many battlegrounds that will be played out in this decisive decade of rivalry between America and China. It will either confirm or upend America’s role as the world’s leading power.

The Power Elements special report follows a book published by Hay Seward, Power Rivals: America and China’s Superpower Struggle (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Rivals-America-Superpower-Struggle/dp/B09QFM8CRP).

Critical and strategic rare metals and rare earths inputs necessary for clean energy such as electric vehicle (EV) production and national defense along with semiconductors and fiber optic materials are likely America and the West’s most pressing needs.

The report profiles some North American companies working to increase production of key rare earths and critical metals including: Defense Metals Corp. (DFMTF, DEFN) Ucore Rare Metals, (UURAF, UCU.V), Geomega Resources, (GOMRF, GMA.V), and Westwin Elements, which is a private company developing a nickel/cobalt refinery in the United States.

What exactly are rare earths? They are obscure rare metals that are in in all sorts of products from cell phones to advanced weapons systems, aircraft engines, robots, and hybrid batteries. The real value of these metals are their unique electrical and magnetic properties that allow for miniaturization and much lighter, stronger, resilient, and efficient components.

How did we ever become dependent on China for the supply of rare earths and rare metals critical to our technology and defense base?

In short, China’s massive advance over the past three decades to become a mining and refining superpower while Washington slept, is an unforced error in our age of US-China rivalry. The cause is not complex and can be traced first to post-Cold War complacency regarding the development of natural resources in North America.

In a nutshell, our leaders seem to have forgotten that America’s economic security is national security.

A few highlights of this debacle include closing the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1996, allowing America’s only rare earths mine to go bankrupt, winding down our defense stockpile, and standing passively by as China became a global manufacturing superpower while locking up strategic resources all over the world

The priority of rebuilding supply chain security should be developing the foundation of manufacturing - commodity inputs - in America or friendly countries. America needs begin to rebuild from the ground up to take back control of its supply chains for rare earths and critical tech metals.

Even now, shortages are emerging, and prices are rising. If the world moves toward a green-energy future and more defense spending, the demand for many of these materials will skyrocket as global output falls far short of anticipated needs.

Carlton Timothy Delfeld
https://www.economicsecuritycouncil.org/
+1 719-201-3680
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