Defense and Aerospace Mineral Dependencies by System
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Defense supply chains depend on strategic minerals system by system: engines on rhenium, cobalt and hafnium, airframes on titanium, munitions on tungsten, electronics on gallium and germanium, and motors and actuators on rare earth magnets. The clearest single exposure is titanium: the United States produced no titanium sponge in 2025, imported an estimated 44,000 tonnes, and China made about 70% of world sponge. This page is organised by system. The aerospace and defense materials page covers the same minerals mineral by mineral.
0 t
titanium sponge produced in the US in 2025; the last domestic plant closed in 2024
44,000 t
estimated US imports of titanium sponge in 2025, a record, with Japan the main source
260,000 t
of 370,000 t world titanium sponge production in 2025 came from China (about 70%)
$1bn
stockpile purchases the Department of Defense said in 2025 it intended to make, including scandium, tungsten, graphite, samarium, dysprosium and terbium
Which minerals does each defense system depend on?
The table maps systems to inputs and gives the evidence the sources provide. Where the USGS gives no defense-specific figure, the table states the general supply fact only.
| System | Key inputs | Evidence on supply | Policy response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet engines and gas turbines | Rhenium, cobalt and hafnium in nickel-base superalloys | 80% of rhenium goes into turbine superalloys; 51% of US cobalt is used in superalloys, mainly for aircraft engines (USGS rhenium, USGS cobalt) | A 2025 solicitation for 7,480 t of cobalt for the National Defense Stockpile was cancelled |
| Airframes and armour | Titanium metal | The majority of titanium metal goes to aerospace; US sponge capacity is idle or closed (Henderson, Nevada 12,600 t a year idle since 2020; Rowley, Utah 10,900 t a year idle since 2016) (USGS titanium) | A Virginia company makes titanium powder from scrap and aims at 1,400 t a year in 2027; the stockpile planned to acquire 15,000 t of titanium in fiscal 2025 |
| Munitions and penetrators | Tungsten | China mined 67,000 t of 85,000 t in 2025; Rotterdam concentrate prices rose from $266 to $551 per tonne unit after US tariffs and China's February 2025 export controls (USGS tungsten) | Covered material under 10 U.S.C. 4872; Defense Production Act awards to projects in Nevada, New Brunswick and Yukon |
| Radar, guidance and communications electronics | Gallium, germanium and indium | China produced 99% of primary low-purity gallium; US germanium metal imports fell 67% in 2025 (USGS gallium, USGS germanium) | Gallium and germanium become covered materials on 18 December 2027 |
| Motors, actuators and sensors | Neodymium-iron-boron and samarium-cobalt magnets | China makes about 94% of rare earth magnets; the Defense Logistics Agency has an agreement for NdFeB magnet blocks from eVAC (CRS, VACUUMSCHMELZE) | Covered from 1 January 2027 for mined, refined or separated stages; Department of War offtake of 100% of MP Materials' 10X magnet output |
What is the exposure to titanium?
The exposure is complete at the metal stage. The USGS reports that the last US titanium sponge plant, in Utah with about 500 tonnes a year of capacity, closed in 2024, and that US imports of sponge reached an estimated 44,000 tonnes in 2025, above the previous high of 40,300 tonnes in 2023. Japan supplied 77% of sponge imports in 2021-24, with Saudi Arabia 13% and Kazakhstan 8%. China produced 260,000 tonnes of the world's 370,000 tonnes in 2025, Japan 53,000 tonnes and Russia 25,000 tonnes. Titanium scrap imports were an estimated 32,000 tonnes. Net import reliance for sponge was 100%.
How is the US responding?
The response combines procurement rules, stockpile buying and project finance. Under 10 U.S.C. 4872 the Department of Defense may not buy covered magnets, tungsten, tantalum and molybdenum with a Chinese, Russian, Iranian or North Korean mining, refining or separation step from 1 January 2027. The National Defense Stockpile received $2 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the Defense Logistics Agency issued requests for scandium, tungsten, graphite, samarium, dysprosium and terbium, with contracts for indium and scandium advancing and one for fluorspar awarded. The Department of War also lent $150 million to MP Materials for heavy rare earth separation. See stockpiles and offtake agreements.
Frequently asked questions
Which minerals are most critical to defense?
The most critical minerals for defense include rhenium, cobalt and hafnium for engines, titanium for airframes, tungsten for munitions, gallium and germanium for electronics and sensors, and rare earth magnets for motors and actuators.
Does the US produce titanium?
The US produced no titanium sponge metal in 2025. The last domestic sponge plant closed in 2024, and the USGS estimates that imports were 44,000 tonnes in 2025, mostly from Japan.
How is the US protecting its defense supply chain?
The US protects its defense supply chain through procurement rules, stockpile purchases and financing. From 1 January 2027 it bars Chinese-origin magnets, tungsten and tantalum, the stockpile got $2 billion in 2025, and the Department of War lent $150 million to MP Materials for heavy rare earth separation.
What is the risk to military readiness from mineral supply?
The risk is that a single-source mineral, such as titanium sponge, tungsten or rare earth magnets, becomes unavailable or costlier. The USGS data show high import reliance for these inputs, which is why the stockpile and procurement rules target them.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium, tungsten, rhenium, cobalt, gallium, germanium
- 10 U.S.C. 4872
- Covington & Burling: Federal push for critical minerals stockpiling (4 February 2026)
- Congressional Research Service: Rare Earth Elements and U.S. Supply Chains (IF13171)
- VACUUMSCHMELZE: eVAC Magnetics opening ceremony in Sumter (16 July 2026)
- MP Materials: Department of Defense partnership (10 July 2025)
