Batteries, Critical Minerals are a Major U.S. Vulnerability
Michael Purzycki
July 21, 2026
American industry depends heavily on raw materials over which China has total or near-total control.
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American industry depends heavily on raw materials over which China has total or near-total control.
Producing defense-grade metals and magnets requires chemical and metallurgical processes that take years to develop, qualify and scale.
Defense electronics are the endgame, and scaling up mineral capacity without doing the same for electronics will lead to failure.
The grid is the nation’s most vital asset, a top national security concern, if there ever was one. And if it goes down for any length of time, our civilized way of life will give way to utter chaos in a very short time.
