The Warehouse Delusion
Why America’s Critical Mineral Strategy Mistakes Storage for Sovereignty
The calculus of national power has shifted beneath our feet. For a century, strategists measured strength in barrels of oil, tons of steel, and megatons of explosive yield. Today, the currencies of industrial sovereignty are measured in kilograms of rare earths, lithium concentrates, and refined cobalt. These obscure elements—invisible to most citizens, illegible to most policymakers—have become the foundation upon which electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, advanced weapons, and the entire architecture of modern manufacturing now rest.
The United States has finally noticed. After years of complacency, Washington has unveiled Project Vault, a twelve-billion-dollar initiative branded as America’s answer to supply chain vulnerability. Backed by the largest direct loan in Export-Import Bank history, the program promises to establish a Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve that will shield American manufacturers from the shocks and manipulations of a hostile global market.
