WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US President's executive order called for identifying new sources of critical minerals and for increasing activity at all levels of the supply chain, including exploration, mining, concentration, separation, alloying, recycling and reprocessing critical minerals.
"An increase in private sector domestic exploration, production, recycling, and reprocessing of critical minerals… will reduce our dependence on imports [and] improve our national security and balance of trade, and enhance the technological superiority and readiness of our armed forces," the executive order said on Wednesday.
"This dependency of the United States on foreign sources creates a strategic vulnerability for both its economy and military to adverse foreign government action, natural disaster, and other events that can disrupt supply of these key minerals," the executive order said.
