DoD stockpile report finds mineral shortfalls

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released the Strategic and Critical Materials 2013 Report on Stockpile Requirements. The 189-page report assesses potential risks our nation faces regarding access to strategic and critical non-fuel materials.According to the report, the United States insufficient supplies of approximately a third—23 of the 76—of the materials studied. Shortfalls of the 23 materials total roughly $1.3 billion and further represent an inability to meet essential civilian sector demands.

The graph depicted below shows non-proprietary, at-risk mineral shortfalls.

The DoD suggests a combination of stockpiling, export reductions, substitution and extra U.S. buys to mitigate shortfalls. The report emphasizes the importance of U.S. minerals mining. To respond at a moment’s notice to threats from anywhere around the globe, we will need a steady supply chain to meet our mineral defense needs. We need our leaders to create policies that enable the United States to be more self-reliant and less dependent on foreign minerals.

Click here to view the report in its entirety.