What Happened
Pentagon Channels Funds to Bolster Domestic Production and Secure Defense Supplies
The US Department of Defense is investing $450 million in tungsten mining and processing to bolster domestic production and reduce dependency on foreign supplies, particularly from China. The initiative aims to rebuild a domestic supply chain for tungsten, a critical metal used in advanced weapons systems. The investment is also tied to a looming change in US defense procurement rules, which will bar tungsten mined, refined, or processed in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from being used in defense applications. This move was reported by The Times of India.