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[[File:Rare earth purity.PNG|right|200px|thumb|]]
[[File:Rare earth purity.PNG|right|200px|thumb|]]
'''Rare earth minerals''' are a group of 17 [[metal]]lic [[element]]s essential for modern [[technology]], found in the [[Earth]]'s crust but rarely in concentrated deposits suitable for [[mining]].
'''Rare earth minerals''' ('''REMs''') are a group of 17 [[metal]]lic [[element]]s essential for modern [[technology]], found in the [[Earth]]'s crust but rarely in concentrated deposits suitable for [[mining]].
Imports of Yttrium—a key element for high-tech defense and industrial products—from [[China]] to the [[United States]] were halted completely after the April 2025 Chinese retaliation for [[American]] [[tariff]]s, and were not resumed by year's end. Before the restrictions, the United States purchased 93% of its yttrium directly from China, with the remaining 7% coming from countries that still processed Chinese raw materials. China's yttrium exports to the rest of the world have fallen by approximately 30%, and American stockpiles were running out. According to traders, [[US]] stockpiles plummeted from 200 tons to 5 tons. Industry estimates suggest this supply will only last less than a year.
Imports of Yttrium—a key element for high-tech defense and industrial products—from [[China]] to the [[United States]] were halted completely after the April 2025 Chinese retaliation for [[American]] [[tariff]]s, and were not resumed by year's end. Before the restrictions, the United States purchased 93% of its yttrium directly from China, with the remaining 7% coming from countries that still processed Chinese raw materials. China's yttrium exports to the rest of the world have fallen by approximately 30%, and American stockpiles were running out. According to traders, [[US]] stockpiles plummeted from 200 tons to 5 tons. Industry estimates suggest this supply will only last less than a year.
Yttrium is not just an abstract chemical; it is a critical component for high-temperature [[superconductor]]s, jet engines, [[laser]]s, [[missile]] systems, specialized ceramics, and protective coatings. A significant portion of the US [[military industrial complex]] depends on it.<ref>https://www.techspot.com/news/110283-world-running-out-yttrium-little-known-rare-earth.html</ref>
Yttrium is not just an abstract chemical; it is a critical component for high-temperature [[superconductor]]s, jet engines, [[laser]]s, [[missile]] systems, specialized ceramics, and protective coatings. A significant portion of the US [[military industrial complex]] depends on it.<ref>https://www.techspot.com/news/110283-world-running-out-yttrium-little-known-rare-earth.html</ref>
==Pentagon needs==
Researchers at Govini, a firm that maps the [[Pentagon]]'s [[supply chain]]s, found that more than 80,000 parts across roughly 1,900 [[weapon]] systems incorporate just five processed minerals — and that the global supply of all five is dominated by [[China]]. The conclusion, in the report's own words: nearly 78% of all [[Department of War]] (DoW) weapon systems are potentially affected. Nearly four out of five [[American]] weapon systems depend, somewhere in their supply chain, on materials controlled by the country they are most likely to be used against. The five elements are antimony, gallium, germanium, [[tungsten]], and tellurium. Two elements the arsenal can least do without — gallium and tungsten — the United States has essentially no [[domestic]] production at all.
==References==
==References==