Pentagon to stockpile rare earth magnets for missiles and fighter jets
2019-12-23 14:55:03 [Print]
The U.S. military plans to stockpile rare earth magnets used in Javelin missiles and F-35 fighter jets, according to a government document, a step that critics say does little to help create a domestic industry to build specialized magnets now made almost exclusively in Asia.
The Pentagon is seeking proposals to cache a rotating six-month supply of neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets, a type of rare earth magnet essential to weapons manufacturing, according to the document.
The request effectively seeks someone to warehouse a six-month supply of the specialized magnets and maintain it for at least 30 months. It does not offer financial support for NdFeB magnet manufacturing, which industry analysts and executives say is a short-sighted misstep by the Pentagon.
China and Japan are the world's largest NdFeB magnet producers. None of the specialized magnets are made in the United States, though a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientist invented them here in the early 1980s.
According to previous reports, the Pentagon is funding construction of rare earths processing facilities. But after rare earths are processed, they must be turned into magnets, otherwise they are of little value to electronics and weapons manufacturers.
Responses to this latest Pentagon request are due by Jan. 22, 2020, according to the document. The Pentagon plans to spend $10 million on the program, with recipients funding another $10 million in total. Each recipient will receive a maximum of $3 million, according to the document.
The Pentagon's request acknowledges that if no domestic rare earth sources are available to build the stockpile, foreign suppliers may be used. But the U.S. Congress this year approved legislation that forbids the Pentagon from using magnets made in China, North Korea or Russia, further complicating the supply chain.
The Pentagon is seeking proposals to cache a rotating six-month supply of neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets, a type of rare earth magnet essential to weapons manufacturing, according to the document.
The request effectively seeks someone to warehouse a six-month supply of the specialized magnets and maintain it for at least 30 months. It does not offer financial support for NdFeB magnet manufacturing, which industry analysts and executives say is a short-sighted misstep by the Pentagon.
China and Japan are the world's largest NdFeB magnet producers. None of the specialized magnets are made in the United States, though a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientist invented them here in the early 1980s.
According to previous reports, the Pentagon is funding construction of rare earths processing facilities. But after rare earths are processed, they must be turned into magnets, otherwise they are of little value to electronics and weapons manufacturers.
Responses to this latest Pentagon request are due by Jan. 22, 2020, according to the document. The Pentagon plans to spend $10 million on the program, with recipients funding another $10 million in total. Each recipient will receive a maximum of $3 million, according to the document.
The Pentagon's request acknowledges that if no domestic rare earth sources are available to build the stockpile, foreign suppliers may be used. But the U.S. Congress this year approved legislation that forbids the Pentagon from using magnets made in China, North Korea or Russia, further complicating the supply chain.
