China Plays Politics with Rare Earth Elements
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:44 PM PDT
The race to control and discover rare earth (RRE) minerals whose production plays a significant role in modern warfare equipment and consumer electronics is on as the US, EU and Japan take on China, which controls 95% of RRE production. RREs such as tungsten, niobium, dysprosium, yttrium and neodymium are used in the production of defense technology, from guided missiles and drones to fighter jets and night vision equipment, and a recent report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that its supply of RREs is not secure and that… Read more…