VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2026
STATE'S CRITICAL MINERALS UNDER GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT
ing mines, the order calls for accelerating the testing and qualification of alternative domestic sources. Contractors that contin- ue to rely on unreliable foreign suppliers could face consequences ranging from re- duced contract opportunities to suspension or termination of certain contracts, subject to existing law and contract terms. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the order also sharply limits the circumstances in which waivers can be issued for covered materials from restricted foreign sources. Contrac- tors seeking certain waivers will have to provide mitigation plans showing efforts to eliminate noncompliant materials from their supply chains. For Alaska developers, the significance may be less about an immediate surge in mineral prices and more about creating a federal policy environment in which do- mestic projects become strategically valu- able sources of supply. Alaska is already positioned to partici- pate in that shift. The state contains 56 of the 60 minerals currently designated as critical by the U.S. government, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Those resources range from graphite and rare earth elements to antimony and other minerals important to advanced manufacturing, energy technolo- gies and defense applications. For Alaska, the long-term opportunity may extend beyond simply extracting ore. One of the industry's challenges is that a mineral is not necessarily strategically use- ful merely because it is mined in the United States. Processing, refining and manufac- turing capacity must also exist domestically or within trusted allied supply chains. That makes Alaska's efforts to develop processing and research capabilities partic- ularly important. In July, the National Science Foundation announced $15 million over two years for a University of Alaska Fairbanks-led Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine. The initiative could receive as much as $160 million over 10 years and is intended to advance mineral discovery, processing and purification tech- nologies while developing the workforce needed to support a larger critical-minerals industry. The effort is designed to bring togeth- er universities, industry and government agencies around technologies ranging from artificial intelligence-assisted mineral ex- ploration to new methods for extracting
side the United States. The order's policy calls for materials and components to be sourced domestically or from allied nations while reducing vulnerabilities associated with unreliable foreign suppliers. That could benefit Alaska projects capa- ble of supplying U.S. or allied markets, par- ticularly where the state can offer resourc- es that are difficult to obtain from secure sources elsewhere. It also raises the importance of projects capable of demonstrating a complete and traceable supply chain.
and processing minerals. That type of infrastructure could be- come increasingly important as federal pol- icy moves from simply identifying critical minerals to demanding greater visibility into where those minerals originate and how they move through the supply chain. The executive order also reflects a broader shift in how Washington views mineral security. The goal is not necessarily for every pound of every mineral used by the U.S. military to be mined and processed in-
New opportunities for Alaska exist in securing defense supply chains BY FIREWEED STRATEGIES ALASKA’S POTENTIAL AS A DOMESTIC SOURCE OF CRITICAL MINERALS IS GAINING A NEW DIMENSION AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MOVES TO MAKE THE NATION’S DEFENSE SUPPLY CHAINS LESS DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN SOURCES. A July 20 executive order from Presi- dent Donald Trump directs the U.S. De- partment of War to strengthen oversight of critical defense supply chains, restrict the
into weapons, aircraft, electronics and oth- er national security systems. That distinction could be important for Alaska. Under the order, the Pentagon is direct- ed to develop requirements for prime con- tractors and subcontractors to map critical supply chains from finished products back to the origin of their raw materials. The planned system is intended to iden- tify vulnerabilities such as foreign owner- ship or influence, financial instability, man- ufacturing bottlenecks and dependence on single suppliers. Contractors will also be expected to identify and mitigate signifi- cant risks. Perhaps most consequential for emerg-
use of certain foreign-sourced materials and accelerate the qualification of domestic alternatives. For Alaska mining companies developing deposits containing critical and strategic minerals, the policy could create a stronger market incentive — and potential- ly an earlier path to customers — as projects move toward development. The order, titled “Securing America’s Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Do- mestic Acquisition of Critical Materials,” does not direct the federal government to finance Alaska mines. Instead, it takes aim at the supply chains serving the U.S. military and defense industry, potential- ly changing how contractors evaluate and source the raw materials that ultimately go
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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2026
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