Pentagon FORTRESS stockpile plan hits minerals wall

The Pentagon formally established FORTRESS America on Sept. 30 to stockpile critical minerals, fuel and munitions on US soil in case sabotage disrupts domestic factories and grids. China's dominance of rare-earth and critical-mineral processing, and the US making under 1% of its most common rare-earth magnet, make filling the stockpile hard.

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FORTRESS America signals a Cold War-scale shift toward domestic reserves of minerals, fuel and munitions, with costs that could reach scores to hundreds of billions of dollars. US rare-earth magnet supply was about 300 metric tons against roughly 48,000 tons of demand in 2025, and capacity is on track for only about 5,000 tons by the end of 2026. Contracts such as Elmet's up-to-$2 billion tungsten deal, with only $150 million guaranteed, show that supply agreements do not quickly become vault inventory. The Jan. 1, 2027 ban on defense contractors buying Chinese rare earths, magnets and tungsten, which has already needed waivers, is the first test. Domestic miners, processors and magnet makers stand to gain from sustained federal demand, while automakers and defense primes face continued supply risk.