Informe 73: From mine to battlefield. Critical materials for the defence industry
For some time now, the Global North has been expressing concern about its struggle to access certain material resources that it considers essential. Initially, the focus was on fossil fuels. It was feared, for example, that oil and gas would soon reach peak production, after which extraction would become much more costly (both in economic and energy terms) and the quality of the resources extracted would decline. Today, the focus has shifted to so-called critical raw materials, which are essential for the energy transition and new technologies. As the European Union itself has stated, dependence on critical raw materials may soon replace our current dependence on oil.
This report examines how this issue affects the defence industry—and by extension, the supply of weapons, vehicles and equipment to armed forces. We seek to understand the perspectives of the EU, the United States and NATO on the matter, as well as the approaches they propose to address it.
There is a fairly broad consensus on which raw materials can be considered critical for defence, based on how they are used in the industry and the risks of supply chain disruption.
This report outlines the current and future challenges in securing the materials essential to the defence industry. Given the prevailing climate of militarism, such supply difficulties could lead to armed conflict, further fuelling the arms race. The alternative is clear: radical global demilitarisation, accompanied by a shift in current policies from those based on confrontation and threat to those based on cooperation and dialogue. Such a shift would be a meaningful contribution to the fight against the ecological emergency.
Authors: Teresa de Fortuny and Xavier Bohigas
Read and download the executive summary in English, in Spanish and in Catalan, and the full report in English, in Spanish and in Catalan.
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