Pentagon enters the field; Refining of vital metals in US military lands

US President Donald Trump plans to build metal refining facilities at Pentagon military bases, according to ISNA. According to two senior government officials, the move is part of his plan to increase vital mineral production and reduce China’s control over the area.

The move is one of the several programs that are under review for an executive order that Trump may soon sign, even until Wednesday. Last week, he told the US Congress that he would take a “historical move to expand vital minerals and rare elements in the United States”.

According to informed sources, which are not allowed to publicly discuss the decisions of the US government, the Pentagon will cooperate with other federal institutions to establish mineral processing facilities in its bases.

The sources told Reuters that the use of military bases to process these materials emphasized the importance of vital minerals in national security from Trump’s perspective. Fighters, submarines, bullets and other US military weapons are made with material processed in Beijing.

Trump also plans to appoint a special official to monitor vital minerals, similar to what the former presidents have taken to coordinate Washington’s policies in other areas.

According to sources, the programs are still under investigation and may change before Trump’s executive order signing.

Some Trump administration officials were concerned about initial signs that China could limit exports of vital minerals as a retaliatory act against Trump’s tariffs or for other reasons, a official told Reuters.

The US National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment.

Given that the Pentagon has about 5 million hectares of land, the plan ensures that there is enough land for refining facilities and prevents disputes that sometimes occur in the host’s local communities. It also eliminates the need to buy land or the use of lands under the control of other federal institutions.

According to Reuters, a program focused on metal processing, instead of reforming mining laws in the United States, may cause dissatisfaction with American miners, but it eliminates the long -standing concern of producers over China’s over -control over the metal processing sector in the world.

China is one of the world’s largest producers of 5 of the 5 minerals that are critical by the US Geological Survey.

It is unclear how the Trump plan will be implemented in the Pentagon bases legally, as US clean air and clean water laws are still implemented in these bases, and these laws have previously prevented private material processing projects.

Trump had earlier expressed his desire for alternative use of federal -controlled lands. During his presidential candidacy, he had promised to open parts of federal land to build large -scale housing, with areas where “extremely low taxes and minimal regulations” would be.

According to sources that spoke to Reuters, Trump does not have a plan to create strategic reserves of vital minerals similar to US strategic oil reserves, a move that some in the government and the mining industry demanded.

China stores some vital minerals, including Cobalt, and the US government thought last year to store the metal. Cobalt is used in missiles, aerospace components, communication magnets, and radar and guidance systems.

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