U.S. military seeks proposals to boost supplies of critical minerals, document shows
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Washington, March 4, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The U.S. military asked mining companies on Friday to help boost domestic supplies of 13 critical minerals used to make semiconductors, weapons and other products, a document reviewed by Reuters showed.
The request came one day before the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, and was described in the draft as further evidence of Washington’s weak access to materials used widely in warfare.
The Pentagon asked members of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium, a group of companies, universities and other suppliers, to submit proposals by March 20 for projects that could mine, process or recycle nickel, graphite, rare earths and other minerals, the document showed.
The White House, the consortium and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the draft.
