US on track to establish domestic rare earths supply chain for defence, official says

The US is on track to establish a domestic rare earths supply chain to meet its defense needs by 2027, according to a senior defence official. The US has been driving the build-out of a global supply chain for rare earths, metals used in magnets for green energy industries and defense, beyond dominant producer China since COVID upended global supply chains early this decade. Australia is classified as a domestic source of supply for critical minerals for the US under the Defense Production Act, and the US has been offering funding opportunities to Australian mine developers.