"Control their supply, and you control the technological high ground. For decades, America ceded this control, a strategic blunder that left our security perilously dependent on China, which now dominates over 80% of the global supply chain. The Trump administration, to its credit, correctly identifies this vulnerability as a five-alarm fire."
"When China, in retaliation for tariffs, threatened to weaponize its rare earth monopoly a move tested on Japan in 2010 the administration's desperation only intensified. This approach, predicated on blackmail and strong-arming, is not a strategy; it is a lurch from one crisis to the next."
"The irony is stark: The most viable, scalable and secure solution to this dependency lies not in Arctic islands or conflict-ridden territories, but right here at home, buried in the soil of a state the administration relentlessly attacks California. There is no more important state for securing America's resource independence."
Rare earth elements power modern technology from smartphones to military systems, making control of their supply strategically vital. China dominates over 80% of global rare earth production, creating dangerous American dependency. The Trump administration recognizes this vulnerability and proposes a $12 billion strategic stockpile, but pursues counterproductive foreign policy solutions including military interventions and territorial acquisitions. These coercive approaches misunderstand American strength and create instability. The most practical, scalable, and secure solution exists domestically in California's Mountain Pass mine in the Mojave Desert, which once led global production before Chinese price dumping caused bankruptcy. Revitalizing this domestic source offers genuine resource independence.
#rare-earth-elements #national-security #supply-chain-dependency #domestic-production #china-dominance
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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