{"id":2470673,"date":"2025-08-04T15:42:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T19:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-defense-companies-panicked-as-china-withholds-crucial-rare-earth-materials\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T15:44:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T19:44:35","slug":"us-defense-companies-panicked-as-china-withholds-crucial-rare-earth-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-defense-companies-panicked-as-china-withholds-crucial-rare-earth-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"US Defense Companies &#8216;Panicked&#8217; as China Withholds Crucial Rare Earth Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-defense-companies-panicked-as-china-withholds-crucial-rare-earth-materials%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2470673&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that China is significantly disrupting the production of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-responds-to-claims-he-disclosed-sensitive-nuclear-sub-information\/\" title=\"... denies disclosing sensitive nuclear sub information.\">military equipment worldwide<\/a> by restricting exports of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-house-republican-majority-will-affect-defense-policy-heres-how\/\" title=\"A House Republican Majority Will Affect Defense Policy. Here\u2019s How\">critical rare earth minerals<\/a>, of which it supplies about 90%. These minerals are essential for many U.S. weapons systems,including components for fighter jets and drones. Due to Chinese export controls, companies face sharply increased prices and supply delays, with some manufacturers halting production while seeking option sources. The Pentagon aims to eliminate reliance on China by 2027, but many defense contractors still depend heavily on Chinese materials.Experts and advocacy groups warn that China has effectively weaponized its dominance of these critical minerals and call for a united international effort to build autonomous supply chains and counter China&#8217;s economic coercion. The situation has already led to production pauses of key defense programs like the F-35 fighter jet.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not quite war, but defense companies are warning that China is crippling production of military products through its export controls.<\/p>\n<p>Rare earth materials, of which China supplies about 90 percent, are flowing slower than ever before, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/asia\/china-western-defense-industry-critical-minerals-3971ec51?st=PzwwdG&amp;reflink=desktopweb_permalink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Defense software firm Govini estimates that more than 80,000 parts used in U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dick-morris-end-chinas-monopoly-on-rare-earth-metals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">weapons systems<\/a> require minerals currently subject to Chinese export controls.<\/p>\n<p>Suppliers that try to circumvent China have to pay the price.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; Trump is breaking China&rsquo;s stranglehold on rare earths.<\/p>\n<p>China controls 90% of the metals that power everything from fighter jets to iPhones.<\/p>\n<p>Now Trump is offering a minimum price guarantee to the domestic rare-earth sector to accelerate U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dave-taylor-makes-maga-push-for-pentagon-to-buy-american-made-guns-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Dave Taylor makes \u2018MAGA\u2019 push for Pentagon to buy American-made guns - Washington Examiner\">supply chain independence<\/a>. &#129525; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PRzg0K5jvY\">pic.twitter.com\/PRzg0K5jvY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rod D. Martin (@RodDMartin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RodDMartin\/status\/1951396075191017540?\">August 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Journal reported that a company in need of samarium, which goes into magnets needed for fighter jet engines, was offered the chemical element for 60 times the standard price.<\/p>\n<p>Time is also lost. The report said one <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >drone-parts manufacturer paused military deliveries<\/a> for two months while it found magnets it needed from a source other than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pentagon-scrambles-trigger-defense-production-act-realizing-china-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">China<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In December, China stopped sending America germanium, gallium and antimony, which can be used to harden bullets and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-ullyot-bidens-border-dodge-1-5k-military-to-do-paperwork-insults-our-troops\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s border strategy insults troops with 1.5K military doing paperwork, says John Ullyot.\">night-vision equipment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In order to sustain timely product deliveries, material flow must improve in the second half&rdquo; of 2025, Chief Executive Bill Lynn of Leonardo DRS said last week.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Pentagon set a 2027 deadline for companies to wean themselves away from China, not all have been able to do so.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can tell you &hellip; we talk about this daily, and our companies talk about it daily,&rdquo; said Dak Hardwick, vice president of international affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group.<\/p>\n<p>The Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that China has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nunes-delivers-dire-warning-chinas-slow-takeover-helped-along-companies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">weaponized<\/a> its control over much-needed materials, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/china-controls-over-80-battery-materials-crucial-us-defense-equipment-unsettling-report-reveals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The group said Western nations need to unite to create a reliable flow of weapons materials.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is time for new guardrails, muscular statecraft, and a unified international response to non-market manipulation. Building critical supply chains that are independent of China&rsquo;s coercive economic practices can help unleash a wave of cooperation among free-market nations that will lift up both established allies and emerging market partners and turn the tide against China&rsquo;s parasitic economic model,&rdquo; it said in a report.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Critical minerals play an essential role in security and technological competitiveness, but the United States relies heavily on imports from China and other foreign sources. The Trump administration is trying to change that.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s what to know: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AjbcY7o2qq\">https:\/\/t.co\/AjbcY7o2qq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CFR_org\/status\/1952358360830918990?\">August 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As noted by the Government Accountability Office, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been subject to production halts due to issues with materials, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2025\/08\/01\/us-defense-industry-vulnerable-to-china-government-watchdog-warns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The F-35 prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, identified prohibited Chinese magnets in the F-35 supply chain and notified DOD in 2023 and 2024. DOD subsequently paused manufacturing for several months to identify alternative suppliers,&rdquo; the report said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s not exactly a war, but defense firms are cautioning that China is severely disrupting military production by restricting exports. According to The Wall Street Journal, the supply of rare earth materials-of which China provides roughly 90%-is moving more slowly than ever. Defense software company Govini estimates that over 80,000 components in U.S. weapons systems depend on minerals currently controlled by Chinese export restrictions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2470674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/military-weapons.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4501,60608,60607],"class_list":["post-2470673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-china","tag-rare-earth-materials","tag-us-defense"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/military-weapons.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2470673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2470677,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470673\/revisions\/2470677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2470674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2470673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2470673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2470673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}