China’s recent export embargo on samarium, a rare earth element vital to defense technology, has caused serious alarm among Western nations and defense industries. Though China presently controls the worldwide market for rare earths, it has a total monopoly on samarium production a material used virtually solely for military applications like fighter aircraft, missiles, and precision-guided munitions.
Samarium is necessary for creating high-performance magnets employed in sophisticated defense systems, such as the US F-35 fighter, which demands as much as 50 pounds of samarium magnets. The absence of the mineral would bring the production and maintenance of these platforms to a standstill. “They can’t produce them without that,” avowed William Bain, trade policy director of the British Chambers of Commerce, emphasizing that ongoing restrictions heavily weigh on national security.
In April, in the midst of growing trade tensions with the United States, China prohibited exports of seven rare earths. Though some minerals, such as dysprosium and terbium used in electric cars and robots have been licensed for export, Beijing hasn’t removed restrictions on samarium exports. Metallurgist Stanley Trout says this mineral is “almost entirely used for military applications,” so the prohibition is a powerful geopolitical tool.
The United States, which is already being squeezed to restock its military reserves in supporting Ukraine and Israel, has only a limited amount of samarium in reserves. That is only going to last a few months, leaving the threat of a near-imminent supply shortage.
Reports indicate that China is employing its dominance of the rare earths as leverage in trade talks. In return for opening some restrictions, Beijing is said to be looking for increased access to key Western technologies. Now that samarium supply is severed, the West is not just facing industrial disruption but a potentially debilitating blow to defense readiness.