President Donald Trump will meet with almost 200 mining executives at the State Department on Friday as his administration seeks to shore up the availability of minerals in the U.S. to feed the development of military technology and bolster supply chains that China dominates.
Trump is poised to unveil $180 million to boost training for mine workers at all levels — from trade schools to universities — at a roundtable with industry participants at the State Department, according to a White House official. The president will also make “several major announcements to support, strengthen, and supercharge America’s mining industry,” the official added, but stopped short of providing details.
The Trump administration is scrambling to ensure the Pentagon has sufficient metals and materials for military equipment and munitions, which are being spent at a fast clip during the U.S. war with Iran. Vulnerabilities are especially high around materials like rare earths, tungsten, antimony, cobalt, graphite and germanium necessary for building precision-guided missiles, fighter jets and advanced sensors.
The administration has announced massive deals to take equity stakes in minerals companies and a separate $12 billion stockpiling initiative.
