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https://agmetalminer.com/2019/09/09/rare-earths-mmi-pentagon-explores-possible-rare-earths-plant-in-australia/

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METALMINER
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Rare Earths MMI: Pentagon Explores Possible Rare Earths Plant in Australia
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by Fouad Egbaria on SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

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Market Analysis
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U.S. Looks to Australia for Rare Earths
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China’s dominance of the global rare earths market is well-documented, a fact the U.S. defense sector has grappled with in light of the elements’ use in a variety of high-tech capacities (including military applications).
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In that vein, the Pentagon announced late last month that it has engaged talks with Australia regarding the possibility of hosting a rare earths processing plant in the country, Reuters reported.


According to the report, China accounts for more than 80% of global processing capacity of rare earths, a list of 17 elements that includes 15 lanthanide series elements (plus yttrium and scandium).
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Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, was quoted as saying that the U.S. is exploring several options to expand its rare earths footprint, of which Australia presented “one of the highest potential avenues,” Reuters reported.
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Given the U.S. (and the rest of the world’s) dependence on China for rare earths, the U.S. has held back on imposing tariffs on the elements, even as it has levied hundreds of billions of tariffs on Chinese industrial products and ordinary consumer goods.
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