Synthetic blood and instant runways: How biotech can benefit the warfighter |
Synthetic blood and instant runways: How biotech can benefit the warfighter
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week on “Rebuilding American Critical Minerals Supply Chains,” Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, pointed out that the U.S. is more than 90 percent “import-reliant for around 25 critical minerals, and over 50 percent reliant on foreign sources for more than 50” others.
He added that “a significant and, in some cases, dominant share of the global processing capacity for these and other minerals is consolidated within China’s borders.”
In fact, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology — of which I am a member — has reported that the U.S. “is almost entirely reliant on China for over half of its annual consumption for 31 of 35 critical minerals.” These critical minerals and rare earths are key components of everything from cell phones and medical devices to semiconductors and nuclear reactors.
Moreover, as the commission also has noted, China has not hesitated to exploit America’s dependence on its minerals and rare earths. In late 2024 China cut off U.S. access to gallium and germanium, jeopardizing U.S. semiconductor production, and in April 2025, China tightened exports of six rare earth metals, effectively restricting U.S. access.
There is no way to assure that Beijing would not employ this tactic again in future; it could elect to further restrict rare earths and mineral exports to the U.S. in order to pressure Washington to accede to its objectives.
For that reason, both Congress on a bipartisan basis and the Department of War have recognized the urgent need to formulate........