Analyses suggest that the key mineral export control measures introduced by China as a card in the U.S.-China tariff war could seriously impact the U.S. weapons supply chain.
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 27th (local time), a research team from the U.S. defense procurement information company Gobiny identified more than 80,000 weapon parts made from key minerals such as antimony, gallium, germanium, tungsten, and tellurium that China dominates, stating that approximately 78% of all weapon systems in the U.S. could potentially be affected.
The report noted, "China's export control of key minerals revealed that the U.S. is structurally dependent on China for essential parts of its weapon systems." China has gradually expanded control since it started with gallium and germanium export controls in July 2023, adding tungsten and tellurium in February last year and antimony in August.
Gobiny's research team particularly analyzed that these minerals affect 61.7% of U.S. Marine Corps weapons and 91.6% of Navy weapons. Additionally, it was noted that the usage of these five key minerals in weapon systems has increased by an average of 23.2% over the past 15 years.
In fact, antimony is used in the missile warning system of the F-35 fighter jet, gallium is used in the AN/SPY-6 radar, and germanium is essential for the infrared optical devices of the nuclear detection system and the anti-tank weapon "Javelin." Furthermore, tungsten is utilized in armor-piercing anti-tank rounds, and tellurium is used in the thermoelectric generator of the RQ-21 Blackjack drone.
The report emphasized that a significant number of the supply chains for approximately 1,900 types of U.S. weapon systems are deeply connected to China. For example, 82.4% of components that use germanium and 91.2% of those that use tellurium were associated with China, and in the case of antimony, only 19% were found to be procurable from areas outside of China.
The research team stated, "Excessive dependence on Chinese refined antimony exposes the U.S. defense supply chain to political and economic risks and may lead to increased weapon system expenses and production delays," adding that domestic production capacity should be strengthened and strategic stockpiles expanded to respond.