Pentagon ‘Myopic’ on Rare Earths Study, Coffman Says
This article is for subscribers only.
The U.S. Defense Department is short-sighted in its assessment that China’s monopoly on rare-earth materials, which are used in military hardware, poses no threat to national security, said U.S. Representative Mike Coffman.
The Pentagon’s report, on which some members of Congress have been briefed prior to its release, notes that rising prices and supply uncertainties are spurring private investment in new mining operations outside of China that will help meet American military needs, a person familiar with the findings said. Military use accounts for less than 5 percent of U.S. rare-earth consumption, according to the report.