Decoupling Defence: A Risky Gamble in the Rare Earths Game The executive order signed by US President Donald Trump aims to decouple America's defence industry from China's rare earths, a move met with relief and skepticism.
Industry observers view this directive as a long overdue enforcement crackdown that will inflict short term pain on contractors in exchange for potential long term national security gains.
The reality is that the US has been woefully reliant on Chinese supplies of critical materials like rare earths, which are essential components in advanced military hardware.