Archive | Element 17

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

Jul 6, 2026

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5 min read

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

Five installations. Four companies. No taxpayer dollars. The Army just did something it's never done — and a January 2027 federal deadline is the reason why.

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

Jul 3, 2026

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4 min read

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

The US defense industry pulled its samarium from a defunct French plant. The DFARS ban hits in six months. After that, the only American maker of these magnets has nothing to fall back on.

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Jul 1, 2026

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5 min read

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Two detentions in Dalian. The same country that cut off exports in 2010 is now jailing people over them — and this time there's no expiration date.

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

Jun 29, 2026

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4 min read

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

The Army is building rare earth plants on military bases before China’s export-control pause expires.

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

Jun 26, 2026

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5 min read

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

Terbium trades at $1,406/kg outside China against $970 inside — a $436 spread that measures exactly how squeezed non-Chinese buyers are right now.

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

Jun 24, 2026

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4 min read

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

In 2010 Beijing turned off rare earth shipments to Japan over a fishing boat. This week it aimed the same weapon at the Pentagon-backed firms built to make that impossible.

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

Jun 22, 2026

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4 min read

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

A bipartisan bill covers every link — oxide, separation, finished magnets, rare-earth-free alternatives. $1.7 billion is already committed.

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

Jun 19, 2026

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4 min read

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

Phoenix Tailings will build the Freedom Facility in Massachusetts — taking ore in, shipping pure metals out, and keeping China out of the middle.

China's Rare Earth Truce Expires in 146 Days. The G7 Just Set a 2030 Target. Here's the Gap.

Jun 17, 2026

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5 min read

China's Rare Earth Truce Expires in 146 Days. The G7 Just Set a 2030 Target. Here's the Gap.

G7 leaders agreed at Évian that no single country should supply more than 60% of their critical mineral imports. China currently supplies more than that. The Pentagon just bet $500 million on the midstream solution.

The Strait of Hormuz Reopens This Week. The Rare Earth Emergency Was Never About Iran.

Jun 15, 2026

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5 min read

The Strait of Hormuz Reopens This Week. The Rare Earth Emergency Was Never About Iran.

The war that disrupted sulfuric acid markets for 104 days is ending. The G7 summit that opens today in Évian — and the Pentagon's January deadline — are about something else entirely.

In 2003, G7 Leaders Met at This Hotel and Didn't Mention Rare Earths Once. They Reconvene in Three Days.

Jun 12, 2026

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5 min read

In 2003, G7 Leaders Met at This Hotel and Didn't Mention Rare Earths Once. They Reconvene in Three Days.

The 52nd G7 Summit in Évian opens Monday. For the first time, a formal outcome document on rare earth and critical mineral supply chains is expected.

Mountain Pass Went Dark in 2015. The Same Mine Is About to Produce Dysprosium and Terbium for the First Time.

Jun 10, 2026

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5 min read

Mountain Pass Went Dark in 2015. The Same Mine Is About to Produce Dysprosium and Terbium for the First Time.

Eleven years after Molycorp's bankruptcy ended America's last rare earth attempt, Mountain Pass is commissioning the heavy rare earth separation circuit the US has never had.

SEE MORE BRIEFINGS

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

China's Rare Earth Truce Expires in 146 Days. The G7 Just Set a 2030 Target. Here's the Gap.

The Strait of Hormuz Reopens This Week. The Rare Earth Emergency Was Never About Iran.

In 2003, G7 Leaders Met at This Hotel and Didn't Mention Rare Earths Once. They Reconvene in Three Days.

Mountain Pass Went Dark in 2015. The Same Mine Is About to Produce Dysprosium and Terbium for the First Time.

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