Why US is digging through mining waste to build weapons sans China's ‘rare’ role

Phoenix Tailings, a New Hampshire refinery, extracts critical minerals from mining waste using electrolysis.

A $500-million Pentagon loan will fund a new factory to boost US production of rare earth metals like neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium, samarium, and yttrium.

The expansion, named the Freedom facility, aims to reduce Western Hemisphere dependence on Chinese rare earths.

Critical minerals are essential for weapons systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, THAAD interceptors, and F-35 fighter jets.