I worked for a tech industry trade group many years ago. We were already sounding the alarm over the national defense supply chain back in the Obama years. White papers, meetings with lawmakers, the works. DOD made some steps to harden the supply chain, but not nearly enough.
Processing is where it gets stuck. A stockpile of ore does little if the refining plants that turn it into usable metal and magnets are mostly overseas and take years to build
The Pentagon is pushing FORTRESS America, a strategy aimed at strengthening U.S. industrial and military self-sufficiency by building domestic stockpiles of critical minerals, rare earth elements, fuel, and munitions. The plan reflects growing concerns over dependence on China for strategic supply chains and seeks to bolster economic security as part of the broader geopolitical competition between the two powers.
The West only won the Cold war because of NATO, Trump has dismantled US relations with the rest of the West. Hell the rest of the West may be on the guard of the US.
A big part of the USSR's financial troubles was because of the ridiculous amount of money they dumped into their military to stay on par with the USA. They're just estimates but they're were said to usually spend 10-20% of their national GDP on their military, which even at the low range is far above what the USA was.
In the case of USSR it is difficult to separate security aparatus and military spending. To be fair US spends a lot more as well if you add up police forces, letter agencies and the military spending.
I disagree. NATO was alliance of the West. When President H.W. Bush went the UN to make the case to fight the Persian Gulf war, many NATO nations supported and gave to that effort. NATO was and still is a defensive pact but that war showed the west was unified after the Cold War because of NATO nation support.
Would've been swell if they had forseen this and began stockpiling and raising production before shooting off a noticable fraction of peacetime stockpiles into the sandbox again.
Good start, but of course when people know you’re buying you can’t hope for a great deal. Unfortunately there will be more costs because once the ore is available it must be purified, alloyed, machined, and then integrated with electronic components. All of those other steps have been largely off shored to China.
gingy-96 | 19 hours ago
This is a pretty good idea. It’s no shock that globalization created major national security issues around our critical supply lines.
I don’t think the plan really contemplates how best to acquire those materials given the shortages we already experience
TrueBirch | 17 hours ago
I worked for a tech industry trade group many years ago. We were already sounding the alarm over the national defense supply chain back in the Obama years. White papers, meetings with lawmakers, the works. DOD made some steps to harden the supply chain, but not nearly enough.
gingy-96 | 17 hours ago
It’s an issue across ALL of our 16 designated critical infrastructures.
Interdependence on each other and over-dependence on foreign supply chains is a major common failure point
the_half_spoon | 19 hours ago
Processing is where it gets stuck. A stockpile of ore does little if the refining plants that turn it into usable metal and magnets are mostly overseas and take years to build
jhonstar1 | 15 hours ago
That is why the package includes construction of national infrastructure.
[OP] Maresa80 | 20 hours ago
The Pentagon is pushing FORTRESS America, a strategy aimed at strengthening U.S. industrial and military self-sufficiency by building domestic stockpiles of critical minerals, rare earth elements, fuel, and munitions. The plan reflects growing concerns over dependence on China for strategic supply chains and seeks to bolster economic security as part of the broader geopolitical competition between the two powers.
Putrid_Gas1540 | 19 hours ago
The West only won the Cold war because of NATO, Trump has dismantled US relations with the rest of the West. Hell the rest of the West may be on the guard of the US.
Dazzling-Rub-8550 | 16 hours ago
The West didn’t win so much as the USSR went bankrupt because of corruption, inefficiency, and worse technology.
Trump is trying to speed run this path too.
Infranto | 12 hours ago
A big part of the USSR's financial troubles was because of the ridiculous amount of money they dumped into their military to stay on par with the USA. They're just estimates but they're were said to usually spend 10-20% of their national GDP on their military, which even at the low range is far above what the USA was.
Emotional_Goal9525 | 4 hours ago
In the case of USSR it is difficult to separate security aparatus and military spending. To be fair US spends a lot more as well if you add up police forces, letter agencies and the military spending.
discosoc | 14 hours ago
NATO largely ceased to be useful once the Cold War ended, and has basically spent all that time trying to justify its existence.
Putrid_Gas1540 | 14 hours ago
I disagree. NATO was alliance of the West. When President H.W. Bush went the UN to make the case to fight the Persian Gulf war, many NATO nations supported and gave to that effort. NATO was and still is a defensive pact but that war showed the west was unified after the Cold War because of NATO nation support.
oregon_coastal | 19 hours ago
As long as they can do it with a $500billion total defense budget, then I am down.
But if it requires the current batshit spending budget, then no.
We have other much more important priorities.
jhonstar1 | 15 hours ago
I say that Medicaid and Medicare must be 500 billion and not 14 billion, even if I agree, there are more important things to do, right?.
RollinThundaga | 5 hours ago
Would've been swell if they had forseen this and began stockpiling and raising production before shooting off a noticable fraction of peacetime stockpiles into the sandbox again.
Distinct-Response907 | 19 hours ago
Good start, but of course when people know you’re buying you can’t hope for a great deal. Unfortunately there will be more costs because once the ore is available it must be purified, alloyed, machined, and then integrated with electronic components. All of those other steps have been largely off shored to China.