(Adnkronos) – China’s new export restrictions on rare earths and magnets to the United States represent a red flag for American national security. As reported by the New York Times, Beijing’s decision to require special licenses for the export of six heavy rare earth metals – refined exclusively in China – and magnets crucial to the US military industry, has highlighted Washington’s strategic vulnerability. “This decision has huge implications for our national security,” said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical minerals security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Rare earths – a group of 17 elements including neodymium, yttrium, scandium and dysprosium – are essential components of military technologies such as jet engines, guided missiles, drones and radar. According to the Department of Defense, each F-35 fighter contains over 400 kg of rare earths, while a submarine can exceed 4,000 kg. “China dominates the global rare earth supply chain,” explained Aaron Jerome, a trader at British firm Lipmann Walton & Co., “and this allows it to directly influence the costs of US military production.”
This is not an isolated wake-up call. In 2022, deliveries of Lockheed Martin-produced F-35 fighter jets were halted after a Chinese alloy was discovered in a component, violating defense procurement rules. Supplies resumed a month later, but China’s reliance remained evident. “Whatever the source of the magnets today, part of the supply chain is still under Beijing’s control,” Jerome added.
In the 1980s, the United States was a leader in rare earth production thanks to the Mountain Pass mine in California. The site’s closure in 2002 made way for Chinese dominance, which today produces 90% of the world’s magnets. Although the mine has been reactivated by MP Materials, production levels remain uncompetitive. “US global leadership in aerospace and defense depends on a secure and resilient mining supply chain,” warned Eric Fanning, president of the Aerospace Industries Association, back in 2022.
The Pentagon expanded its rare earth reserves after the 2010 shock, when China blocked rare earth exports to Japan during a diplomatic crisis. However, according to analysts, the available stocks would not be sufficient in the long term. “We should be very concerned,” said Dan Blumenthal of the American Enterprise Institute. “China has just fired a warning shot,” said a US Air Force official, adding that Beijing could go further, imposing tariffs, quotas or even a total blockade.
There are historical precedents for effective reaction: during World War II, the United States created domestic reserves of bauxite when supplies from abroad were cut off. “We won the war then – recalled Seth G. Jones, author of the book The American Edge: The Military Tech Nexus and the Sources of Great Power Dominance – But today, the challenge with China is on another level.”
