Assisted by US President Donald Trump’s aggressive imperialism, the metals required to wage war – rare earths, antimony and uranium – are becoming a meaningful part of critical minerals supply. “Our goal is to cover direct defence demand for tungsten,” Oliver Friesen, CEO of Guardian Metal Resources told Reuters in May. Beijing, for instance, imposed gallium and germanium export controls months after the US launched support for battery metals supply in 2023. A further impact on the mining sector is expected through evolving critical minerals policies, says Van Zyl. “You need to remember the US turned its attention to securing critical minerals supply chains in the Biden government through the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act].