Rare Earth Metals and the F-35 Supply Chain: Challenges and Risks

Highlights

• China controls 80% of rare earth element production, creating significant geopolitical and supply chain risks for Western defense systems.
• The CHIPS and Science Act aims to bolster domestic semiconductor production and reduce dependence on East Asian suppliers.
• The U.S. faces complex challenges in developing cost-effective and sustainable rare earth element production while managing geopolitical and environmental concerns.

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Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial to high-tech devices and defense systems, including components in the U.S. military’s F-35 jets. For years now, China has dominated REE production, controlling about 80% of the global supply, creating a geopolitical and supply chain vulnerability for the West. As reported (opens in a new tab) in 2022 by FINABEL (opens in a new tab), a European organization for the promotion of cooperation and interoperability between the national armies of the member states of the European Union, the Pentagon suspension of F-35 deliveries exposed reliance. The Chinese-sourced rare earths were found in jet engines. Although the materials did not compromise performance, the incident raised concern a couple of years ago about the security and autonomy of U.S. defense supply chains.

Efforts to strengthen U.S. supply chains include the CHIPS and Science Act (opens in a new tab), allocating $52.7 billion to bolster domestic semiconductor production and reduce dependence on East Asia. Lots of challenges ensue:  the high cost, environmental impact, and long timelines required to establish REE mining and processing in the U.S.

Key obstacles raised range from geopolitical risk (e.g., China’s ability to shut off REE supplies leading to depleted U.S. stockpiles within 90 days), cost and efficiency challenges, and infrastructure gaps.

Some critical questions include:

• Can the U.S. develop cost-effective and sustainable REE production to compete with China?
• How will environmental regulations impact domestic REE mining and processing efforts?
• What strategies exist to secure short-term supplies during infrastructure development?

While initiatives like the CHIPS Act aim to address vulnerabilities, reliance on China remains a pressing risk, particularly for critical defense applications. Balancing economic, environmental, and strategic factors will be key to building a resilient supply chain.

F-35 Lighting II