Pentagon Revives Cobalt Stockpile With $500 Million, 7,500-Ton Plan

The US Defense Department plans to buy as much as 7,500 tons of cobalt over the next five years, spending up to $500 million to rebuild a strategic stockpile it last replenished in 1990. The move reflects growing concern in Washington over secure supplies of critical minerals used in jet engines, missiles and batteries. The cobalt purchase forms part of a broader initiative to reduce reliance on overseas sources of key materials. Industry partners involved in a separate proposal said the government also intends to create a Strategic Minerals Reserve to store, refine and distribute metals such as gallium, graphite and copper. Together, the programs aim to strengthen domestic supply chains as geopolitical competition intensifies.