# The Pentagon Rare Earth Supply Chain Is More Fragile Than You Think

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/the-pentagon-rare-earth-supply-chain-is-more-fragile-than-you-think
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/the-pentagon-rare-earth-supply-chain-is-more-fragile-than-you-think.md
Podcast: [The Defense Tech Podcast with Fexingo: Government Contracting, Aerospace, and Military Tech](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833)
Published: 2026-06-08T07:48:27+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0038.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0038.mp3
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Duration seconds: 504

## Resource

Episode 38 of The Defense Tech Podcast explores a quiet vulnerability inside the Pentagon's supply chain: rare earth elements. Lucas and Luna break down why China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth processing, how the Pentagon has been trying to build a domestic alternative through the Defense Production Act, and what a new $350 million grant to a startup called USA Rare Earth actually buys. They also tie in current market data — Lockheed Martin up 1.4% this week, Boeing down nearly 4% — to show how geopolitical risk ripples through defense stocks. If you've ever wondered why the F-35, Patriot missiles, and night-vision goggles all depend on a handful of Chinese refineries, this episode explains the bottleneck and what the Pentagon is doing about it. #RareEarth #Pentagon #SupplyChain #DefenseTech #China #USA Rare Earth #Lockheed Martin #Boeing #F35 #PatriotMissiles #DefenseProductionAct #CriticalMinerals #GeopoliticalRisk #LucasAndLuna #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #DefenseIndustry #Technology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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