China also controls the vast majority of rare earth element (REE) processing and put export controls on several heavy REEs in response to the tariffs. From a department of war think tank:

Until 2023, China accounted for 99 percent of global heavy REEs processing, with only minimal output from a refinery in Vietnam. However, that facility has been shut down for the past year due to a tax dispute, effectively giving China a monopoly over supply.

REEs are crucial for a range of defense technologies, including F-35 fighter jets, Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, Tomahawk missiles, radar systems, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles, and the Joint Direct Attack Munition series of smart bombs. For example, the F-35 fighter jet contains over 900 pounds of REEs. An Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyer requires approximately 5,200 pounds, while a Virginia-class submarine uses around 9,200 pounds.

Do not, my friends, become addicted to rare earths. They will take hold of you, and you will resent their absence!

[–] kittin@hexbear.net 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Tbh the rare earths thing is overstated.

The very large fraction of rare earth imports are used to make magnets for stuff like lawn mower motors. Total imports of rare earths are in the hundreds of millions.

Actually peanuts and there are other sources for them that are uneconomical compared to china’s production but if push came to shove the US could easily handle rare earths increasing in price and rarity by an order of magnitude without anyone really noticing.

The real problem would be building the refinement capacity which could easily take years, but critical industries that truly rely on rare earths can survive on stockpiles for years as well.

Rare earths are not a trump card.

[–] invo_rt@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Makes sense. I'll take your word for it. I don't know that industry.

I was citing a US foreign policy-friendly think tank (Center for Strategic and International Studies) that's citing a global material supply chain analysis group (Project Blue) assuming they would be adversarial to China and willing to sound the alarm. Sounds like it doesn't matter then.

[–] kittin@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

Like it’s not nothing but it’s not going to bring the USA to its knees. It might make a few very specific industries non-competitive.