US Security Now Depends Heavily on China for Critical Materials

For decades, Americans viewed national security almost exclusively through a military lens. They focused on aircraft, deployed ships, and the men and women defending the country. Today, the definition has broadened significantly. It now includes access to critical materials needed to build systems, power data centers, manufacture advanced tech, and support industries underpinning the economy. Here is the hard truth: the United States has allowed itself to become dangerously dependent on foreign nations, most notably China.

We have seen what this dependence causes before. During the pandemic, overseas supply chain disruptions left American hospitals scrambling for masks, gloves, and other basic medical equipment produced in China. That control over distribution was a stark reminder that outsourcing essential goods also means outsourcing security. It is literally a threat to your medicine cabinet. The crisis also exposed America's larger strategic vulnerability regarding critical minerals like graphite.

Most Americans think of graphite only as the lead in a pencil. Yet it is essential for rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and countless electronic devices. It finds application across defense technologies, drones, advanced manufacturing, and the expanding infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence. China has spent decades building dominant positions in supply chains from mining to processing. Recently, Beijing demonstrated willingness to restrict exports as geopolitical leverage. America should take that message seriously.

No great nation should let a strategic competitor control materials required to power its economy or defend itself. Despite graphite's importance, the United States remains dependent on foreign sources including China for its supply. What makes this frustrating is that America does not lack natural resources. Alaska alone contains 57 of the 60 minerals identified as critical to American economic and national security. On Alaska's Seward Peninsula sits Graphite Creek. This deposit could become the foundation of a fully integrated domestic graphite supply chain.

The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes it as the largest known graphite deposit in the United States and among the largest globally. It represents a strategic resource that should change the conversation about foreign dependence. But extracting the resource is only part of the solution. During the pandemic, disruptions left hospitals scrambling for equipment China controlled distribution over. America cannot simply replace foreign mines while remaining dependent on foreign processing where China dominates. A truly secure supply chain must extend from resources in the ground through processing and into advanced materials required by American manufacturers. The objective is straightforward: American resources processed and manufactured in America for American industry and national security. The challenge is not what lies beneath our feet.

The real test lies in our ability and willingness to develop resources responsibly. SEN KEVIN CRAMER: CHINA BUILDS FOR WAR WHILE AMERICA WAITS ON PERMITS. For decades, lengthy permitting processes have blocked major American mining projects. Regulatory uncertainty adds to the problem. Insufficient investment in domestic processing makes things worse. This mix of hurdles has made it nearly impossible to bring large-scale operations online under American standards. Instead, we import materials from countries with far lower environmental, labor, and safety rules. That path fails as both sound environmental policy and sound national security strategy. America holds the resources needed for success. We possess the engineering expertise, the workforce, and the private capital required to cut dependence on foreign supply chains dramatically. What is missing now is simply the resolve to act. Responsible development means building processing capacity right here at home. It also requires creating efficient permitting systems without dropping rigorous environmental standards. American businesses cannot build while Washington hesitates. Congress must help them move forward. The nation has recognized critical minerals are vital, and that recognition offers hope. But words must turn into action immediately. We cannot spend another decade studying our dependence while rivals strengthen their grip on global supply chains. Vulnerabilities are clear. Resource locations are known. Technology for responsible development already exists. No great nation should let a strategic competitor control the materials needed to power its economy or defend itself. Yet despite graphite importance, the United States still relies on foreign sources like China. We must build now. The U.S. rose as a global leader because past generations built the world's greatest domestic industrial base. They knew that producing what we need was inseparable from our strength. That principle matters just as much today. America should never ask if another country will sell us materials for defense or economic power. Now is the time to invest in critical supply chains. We must start by creating Alaska's largest graphite mine, one of the biggest in the world, to secure America's future.