Mine-to-Magnet Workshop

Description

Join us as the Manufacturing Division is hosting the Mine-to-Magnet Workshop sponsored by Lockheed Martin on January 16-17!

The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) supply chains for rare earth element (REE) magnets are in a transition phase.  Supported  by U.S. and partner nations, new sources of supply from raw materials to magnets are being developed around the globe.  By statute, effective January 1, 2026, restrictions on REE magnets will follow the supply chain to the mining tier.  Additionally, as early as June 2025, suppliers may be required to provide the full provenance of all REE magnets. 

This day and a half workshop will gather stakeholders from across the supply chain and U.S. Government to discuss challenges and opportunities in this critical supply chain.  A partnership between Government and companies within the DIB is required to accomplish changes in REE supply chains.  The provenance requirements for REE magnets will be a significant challenge, and new technologies and new approaches to organizing the market will be required to accomplish this requirement.  The Workshop will focus on the following topics and questions:

• What actions is the U.S. Government taking to incentivize new sources of supply throughout the supply chain?
• What tiers of the supply chain are highest risk for not being fully established prior to the sourcing restriction implementation deadline?
• What solutions would enable supply chain provenance to the mining level, and can these solutions be implemented by the June 23^rd, 2025 provenance target date?
• What is the status of Government and Industry efforts to develop substitute magnets and new technologies?
• What additional support does the nascent U.S. and friendly nation rare earth element industry need to grow and thrive in the long-term?

Additional Information

Recently proposed Defense Acquisition Regulation Supplemental (DFARS) sourcing requirements (DFARS Case 2021-D015) have set a deadline of January 1^st, 2026 for the entire DIB REE magnet supply chains, from mining to magnet production, to be produced outside of the covered countries of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the Russian Federation, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Additionally, Section 857 of James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23 NDAA) (Public Law 117-263, signed December 23, 2022) contains provisions requiring disclosure by defense contractors of the sources of supply for rare earth elements (REE) and strategic and critical materials (SCM) within permanent magnets used in defense systems.  These provenance sourcing requirements will go into effect as early as June 23, 2025.  As the Department of Defense[1], Department of Commerce[2], and Department of Energy[3] and other government agencies have previously written, the PRC is the dominate global producer for all-tiers off the REE magnet supply chain.  Therefore, the DIB migrating to REE supply chains entirely separate from the PRC is less than straightforward.

[1] The White House. BUILDING RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAINS, REVITALIZING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING, AND FOSTERING BROAD-BASED GROWTH 100-Day Reviews under Executive Order 14017, Review of Critical Minerals and Materials – Department of Defense, June 2021.

[2] Department of Commerce.  The Effect of Imports of Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) Permanent Magnets on the National Security An Investigation Conducted Under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as Amended.

[3] U.S. Department of Energy. Rare Earth Permanent Magnets. U.S. Department of Energy Response to Executive Order 14017, “America’s Supply Chains” February 24, 2022.

More information will follow so continue to check back for updates! 

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