Rising electricity demand, technological advances and efforts to rebuild US manufacturing are increasing the strategic importance of critical minerals, prompting Washington to secure supplies vital to the economy, defense and advanced technologies.
Strategic raw materials and rare earth elements, a group of 17 elements with specialized properties, play an important role in national strategies.
Critical minerals such as copper, lithium and graphite are essential to the energy transition, defense industries and artificial intelligence technologies.
However, much of the processing and refining of these materials takes place outside the US, leaving the country vulnerable to global supply-chain disruptions.
US President Donald Trump views critical minerals not simply as an economic raw material issue, but as a matter of national security, defense and reducing strategic dependence on China.
China's dominant position in global critical mineral and rare earth supply chains has accelerated bipartisan efforts in the US to strengthen supply-chain security and resilience.
When declaring a national energy emergency after taking office last year, Trump said the US' capacity in energy and critical minerals production, processing, refining and infrastructure was "woefully inadequate" to meet the country's needs.
He linked critical minerals to energy security, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and national defense.
The administration is seeking to rebuild critical mineral supply chains in the US, from mining and processing to recycling, with the goal of securing the materials needed by strategic industries ranging from defense to artificial intelligence.
- Trump seeks strategic partnerships on rare earth elements
The Trump administration is pursuing an increasingly active international strategy on critical minerals and rare earth elements, seeking to reduce China's dominance by developing alternative sources of supply and strengthening partnerships with allies and strategic partners.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted Ukraine's mineral resources as part of this strategy.
In discussing US financial support for Ukraine, he said he wanted an agreement that would provide the US with access to the country's rare earth elements and other mineral resources.
The US-Ukraine agreement gives Washington an economic interest in and strategic access to future natural resource projects in Ukraine, covering a broad range of underground resources rather than only rare earth elements.
- US moves to strengthen critical minerals infrastructure
The Trump administration has also sought to expand domestic access to critical mineral deposits.
It moved to revive the Ambler Road project in Alaska, linking the project to national security, economic growth and efforts to reduce dependence on foreign sources of strategic minerals.
Trump has also highlighted cooperation with Australia on critical minerals and rare earth elements.
His administration has also pursued broader geopolitical initiatives, including Trump's calls for US ownership of Greenland, which he has primarily framed as a national security issue.
In February, Trump announced the creation of the first Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve, describing it as a stockpile of critical minerals that could be used for civilian purposes during emergencies.
Trump has also directed federal agencies to prioritize US-sourced critical minerals and other strategic materials. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: "All Federal Agencies Must Buy American - No Excuses!"
Beyond domestic measures, Trump has pushed the idea of establishing a critical minerals trading bloc among Western countries to counter China's influence over global prices and supply. The initiative focuses on minerals including lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, antimony, graphite and tungsten.
- Washington builds broader network of mineral partnerships
Trump has signed an executive order declaring critical minerals and recyclable critical materials necessary for US national defense and giving the Commerce Department authority to restrict exports of such materials when deemed necessary.
The administration has also announced $3 billion in investments in critical mineral and battery projects.
Washington is also building a network of multilateral and bilateral partnerships aimed at diversifying supplies and challenging China's dominance of global critical mineral and rare earth supply chains.
The US has launched the "Pax Silica" coalition with allies and strategic partners including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Israel, aiming to strengthen cooperation around critical minerals, advanced technologies and resilient supply chains.
The White House is also adapting its "America First" approach to raw materials diplomacy by using US financial power to secure critical mineral supplies through a series of bilateral agreements.
These partnerships extend from Southeast Asia to Saudi Arabia and cover a broad range of activities, from mining and mineral processing to the production of magnets and other downstream materials.
By combining US mining and processing capacity with international partnerships and financing from institutions including the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Washington is seeking to build a globally diversified mineral supply network.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr