IT’S BAD ENOUGH WE MUST DEPEND ON CHINA FOR OUR ANTI-BIOTICS BUT WHAT IF: They also cut off our access to critically needed “Rare Earth Elements” (REEs) without which much of America’s weaponry and operational military systems cannot function. Michael Ravnitzky writes:

“From the 1960s to the 1980s, the United States led the global production of REEs. Eventually, China’s labor cost advantages, less demanding environmental rules, and sites with commercially exploitable concentrations of REEs caused world production to shift almost completely to China.

“This was exacerbated by a ‘laissez-faire’ approach to long-term rare earth procurement strategies. China now produces 100 percent of the ‘heavy’ REEs and nearly all of the ‘light’ REEs. Development of known reserves in other countries has been hampered by logistical and investment hurdles, as well as the environmental and technical challenges of mining, extracting, and refining REEs.

“The only remaining American REE mining operation now sends its ore to China for processing (Emphasis added). In recent years, Chinese firms have purchased key U.S. magnet manufacturers, appropriated their technologies, established production in China, and discontinued the U.S. operations.

“China has also reduced the sale of its REEs to other nations, not only because of concerns about resource depletion, but also because of its national policy of shifting from the sale of commodities to the sale of higher-value finished goods.”

The U.S. Army recently recognized Ravnitzky with a much-deserved award for this piece. It’s a little tough sledding to read because of the unfamiliarity of some of its materials for the general reader, but if you care about the survival of the U.S., this is essential reading.