The United States’ dependence on basic minerals from China and other foreign sources is a huge problem, both from an economic and defense perspective.

It’s common knowledge that China exercises a virtual monopoly over the rare earth minerals that are essential to so many high-tech products consumed by Americans. But the U.S. also depends heavily on foreign producers for a broader range of critical minerals. It wasn’t always this way; the U.S. used to be the world’s mining leader. So what happened? On this episode, we examine the depth of the problem, how we got here, and what it will take to bolster domestic production of minerals in the U.S. Our guest is Dave Kanagy, chief executive officer and executive director of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, or SME. He describes the national effort that’s required to ensure national security and the health of every industry that relies on critical minerals. (Which is just about every industry.) But how long will that take? Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

A white paper from SME: “Why the U.S. Needs a National Materials and Minerals Council.”