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Pentagon in talks with Australia on rare earths plant: official
Source: Reuters
BUSINESS NEWS AUGUST 27, 2019 / 12:04 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Pentagon in talks with Australia on rare earths plant: official
(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense is in talks with Australia to host a facility that would process rare earth minerals, part of an effort to reduce reliance on China for the specialized materials used in military equipment, a senior American official said.
The push comes as China threatens to curb exports to the United States of rare earths, a group of 17 minerals found in fighter jets, tanks and high-tech consumer electronics.
China is the world’s largest processor and producer of the minerals. There are no known substitutes.
“We’re concerned about any fragility in the supply chain and especially where an adversary controls the supply,” Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters at a Washington event on Monday.
-snip-
Pentagon in talks with Australia on rare earths plant: official
(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense is in talks with Australia to host a facility that would process rare earth minerals, part of an effort to reduce reliance on China for the specialized materials used in military equipment, a senior American official said.
The push comes as China threatens to curb exports to the United States of rare earths, a group of 17 minerals found in fighter jets, tanks and high-tech consumer electronics.
China is the world’s largest processor and producer of the minerals. There are no known substitutes.
“We’re concerned about any fragility in the supply chain and especially where an adversary controls the supply,” Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters at a Washington event on Monday.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-rareearths-australia/pentagon-in-talks-with-australia-on-rare-earths-plant-official-idUSKCN1VH1UY