November 19, 2025
Vertical Integration of Rare Earth Elements for U.S. Autonomous Dominion
Insights from a Pathfinder Finalist
America’s national security is imperiled by its dependence on China for the rare earth elements (REEs) essential to artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and precision-guided weapons. Without secure access to refined REEs, even the most sophisticated algorithms and defense platforms become inoperable.
China’s dominance across the REE supply chain—from supply to mining to refining—creates a single point of failure for U.S. military readiness. In a crisis, Beijing could weaponize these choke points, halting production of AI-enabled drones, electronic warfare systems, and missiles that underpin U.S. deterrence in theaters from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.
Read the full essay on Breaking Defense.
This essay is part of Pathfinder, a national security essay contest run by CNAS and Breaking Defense. Pathfinder’s goal is to elevate emerging voices in defense and national security by giving authors an opportunity to write and publish with a premier think tank and a leading defense outlet. Learn more about Pathfinder here and read an excerpt of the essay below.