If the past few years taught us anything, it’s that national security no longer stops at the water’s edge or the factory gate. It runs through the mines, mills, refineries, and logistics networks that supply the metals inside our jets, ships, satellites, power grid, and the next generation of energy technologies.
Copper, nickel, cobalt, and other critical minerals aren’t just components of consumer gadgets; they are the sinews of American strength. And yet, for far too long, we have treated domestic mineral production like an afterthought, outsourcing supply to geopolitical rivals and fragile supply chains while hoping global markets will behave. That is a strategic gamble we cannot afford.
Consider copper and nickel. Copper is the metal of electrification, essential to everything from radar systems to transformers to the wiring that hardens our bases and powers missile-defense sites. Nickel strengthens steel and is vital for advanced batteries and armor. Demand is climbing as our military modernizes and our economy electrifies. Meanwhile, a handful of countries dominate key stages of mining and processing, creating single points of failure that adversaries can exploit and crises can choke. We wouldn’t outsource fighter jet production to a rival power; why would we outsource the metals that make those jets possible?
A national strategy to close that vulnerability must include responsible American mining. Fortunately, this administration understands the importance of a reliable supply chain and domestic mineral production. In just a few days, Congress is expected to consider legislation to reverse a ban on exploration and mining in an area of northeastern Minnesota rich in natural resources, including copper and nickel. This region contains 95% of our nation’s nickel resources, nearly 90% of our cobalt, and about a third of our copper. Bottom line: This bill is key to unlocking the power of American domestic production to secure our national security.
To be clear, this bill doesn’t greenlight any mine. It simply lifts an unnecessary and harmful ban and allows projects in the area to pursue federal and state permitting once they have the proper permissions to even pursue that path. Due to the many safeguards in place to ensure that mining is done safely and securely, the process is appropriately complicated.
Minnesota’s Iron Range has helped arm and build America for more than 140 years. The region sits atop the world’s largest known undeveloped deposits of copper-nickel resources, which are fundamental to bolstering our nation’s security into the future. If we don’t develop them responsibly here, we will end up buying the same metals from places with weaker protections for workers, communities, and the environment – and with far less regard for U.S. security.
From a security standpoint, domestic mining does three critical things at once. It reduces exposure to geopolitical blackmail. When access to a critical input can be throttled by one chokepoint abroad, you don’t have a market, you have a vulnerability. Bringing supply home or to trusted allies closes those gaps. It also shortens and hardens supply chains. Fewer ocean crossings and fewer handoffs mean fewer opportunities for disruption, whether from war, piracy, sanctions, or natural disasters. And lastly, it improves traceability. Our military and manufacturers need to know where materials come from and under what conditions. U.S. standards deliver that confidence. Domestic production lets us audit, certify, and, if necessary, intervene.
None of this dismisses local concerns from some. Residents in northern Minnesota cherish clean water and public lands, and so do miners and manufacturers who live there. The answer is not to walk away; it is to show, with data and enforcement, that projects will protect watersheds, honor community input, and deliver transparent, measurable results.
At stake is more than the price of copper or nickel. It’s whether the United States can control the foundations of its own power in an era when control matters again. We can either keep betting that global supply chains will always bend to our needs, or we can do the work of securing them here at home. Projects in northeastern Minnesota are not just economic opportunities; they are strategic assets. Let’s treat them that way by permitting responsibility, producing cleanly, and building an American metals base worthy of the nation it defends.
