China’s Rare Earth Curbs Threaten U.S. Defense Capabilities

As President Donald Trump escalates tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, Beijing is retaliating with measures that strike at the heart of U.S. military readiness: rare earth materials, Sonal Nain reported for Newsweek.

The U.S. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program depends heavily on seven categories of medium and heavy rare earths. I Photo: Kevnmh Wikimedia Commons

In response to Trump’s initial 54% tariffs earlier this month, China imposed export restrictions on rare earth elements vital to U.S. defense systems—particularly the F-47 fighter jet, which Trump has promoted as the successor to the F-22 Raptor.

The U.S. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program depends heavily on seven categories of medium and heavy rare earths, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium.

These materials are essential for manufacturing high-performance magnets and actuators used in cutting-edge military aircraft.

Although Trump signed an executive order to boost domestic mineral independence, experts caution that building a self-sustaining supply chain could take years. Until then, the U.S. defense industry remains vulnerable to disruptions stemming from geopolitical tensions.