A bipartisan group of senators is calling on the Pentagon to shore up its stockpile of critical minerals needed to manufacture modern military technologies for which they say the U.S. has become increasingly reliant on China as a source.
Sens. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, and Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, who both sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, say their legislation would shore up the U.S’s strategic stockpile of key materials needed to meet modern-day defense needs and ensure stable access to critical minerals for America and its allies worldwide.
“At this very moment, our enemies like China dominate the supply chain of these increasingly vital materials, and are even expanding into regions such as Africa and Afghanistan, threatening our readiness in an emergency situation and jeopardizing our national security,” Ms.