{
  "id": 16140325,
  "title": "Why Trump Can't Afford to Lose The Rare Earth Race",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/why-trump-cant-afford-to-lose-the-rare-earth-race",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-23T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-Trump-Cant-Afford-to-Lose-The-Rare-Earth-Race.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In recent years, the West has been actively seeking alternatives to rare earth elements, which are critical for various high-tech applications. Despite these efforts, China's strict export controls have intensified the urgency for manufacturers to secure production capacity. One such company leading the charge is REalloys, NASDAQ: ALOY, which has been working diligently on a comprehensive rare earth manufacturing project in North America.\n\nREalloys has meticulously assembled every stage of the rare earth manufacturing process, from extracting heavy rare earth feedstock to producing permanent magnets. Unlike many competitors, REalloys is not focused on inventing new magnet technologies but rather on establishing the infrastructure to produce the current generation of magnets when China ceases to be the primary supplier.\n\nThe timeline for developing new materials and manufacturing processes is significantly longer than that of implementing new designs in critical equipment. For instance, introducing a new material into aerospace applications can take up to 10 years, while entirely new material classes may take 20-30 years to mature. Consequently, the Pentagon and the U.S. military are already caught in a race to replenish their weapons inventories, which heavily rely on rare earth permanent magnets found in Tomahawk missiles, JDAM smart bombs, radar systems, and various military aircraft and submarines.\n\nTo address this pressing need, REalloys is currently securing heavy rare earth feedstock from multiple allied jurisdictions. This includes exclusive agreements with the Saskatchewan Research Council in Canada, a 15-year off-take agreement with Critical Metals Corp. for Greenland's largest rare earth deposit, and preliminary deals with mining companies in Brazil, Montana, Wyoming, and Kazakhstan. These strategic partnerships aim to establish a stable supply chain for metallization, alloy production, and permanent magnet manufacturing.\n\nA recent contract awarded by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency further underscores REalloys' commitment to this endeavor. The company received a $1.7 million contract to design a modular metallization facility capable of producing 300 metric tons annually of samarium and gadolinium metals. With commercial production slated to begin in early 2027, REalloys is poised to play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between China's dominance in the rare earth market and the Pentagon's urgent requirement for domestically sourced materials.",
  "summary": "For years, the West has searched for a technological escape hatch from rare earths. Engineers have developed new motor designs, alternative magnet chemistries, and materials that reduce or even eliminate the need for some critical minerals. Every time China tightens export controls, those efforts receive another burst of attention. They're worth pursuing. But they don't answer the question…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}