Overview

• Since April, China has expanded export licensing on seven medium and heavy rare earth elements and now demands detailed end-use disclosures for defense-bound shipments.
• U.S. contractors like ePropelled have faced delivery delays of up to two months while seeking alternative magnet suppliers.
• Industry sources report that prices for critical minerals such as samarium have surged by as much as 60-fold.
• Defense analytics firm Govini warns that more than 80,000 parts in U.S. weapons systems rely on minerals now under Chinese export curbs.
• The Pentagon invested $400 million for a 15 percent stake in MP Materials and U.S. law requires defense contractors to eliminate Chinese-sourced rare earth magnets by 2027.