President Trump signed an executive order on Monday that reduces the military’s reliance on materials sourced overseas.
“It is the policy of the United States that not only the finished equipment deployed by our military, but also the critical materials and components necessary to manufacture, maintain, sustain, and repair that equipment, are sourced domestically or from allied nations,” the order reads.
“Despite the longstanding prohibition on the use of sensitive materials sourced from geopolitical adversaries, defense contractors have historically under-prioritized domestic production and resilience,” it adds. “My Administration will act to ensure that the statutory requirements of 10 U.S.C. 4872 are strictly observed and result in resilient domestic and allied supply chains.”
Beginning on January 1, 2027, War Secretary Pete Hegseth will end waivers allowing contractors to source materials from certain countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
The order is the latest action from the Trump administration to support the nation’s critical mineral industry. Last year, President Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to approve deep‑sea mining projects in both U.S. and international waters in an effort to secure minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, titanium, and rare earths.
Similarly, Trump issued a memorandum this past fall authorizing the establishment of the Ambler Road Project, a 211-mile road allowing access to critical minerals. An access road in the area is “crucial” for developing “one of the largest undeveloped copper-zinc mineral belts in the world,” a White House fact sheet explains, noting the land “contains extensive deposits of copper, silver, gold, lead, cobalt, and other strategic metals.”
