An airman uses a handheld radio in the Middle East on June 6, 2025. Cobalt is an important ingredient in battery technology, including those in tactical radios. The U.S. wants to add $500 million worth of the metal to its strategic stockpile. (Lisa-Marie McKinney/U.S. Air Force)
A metal once used primarily as a coloring agent in ceramics is now a sought-after commodity for the U.S. military, which wants to add up to $500 million worth of cobalt to defense stockpiles.
Smartphones and electric vehicles for military or commercial use are among the products that rely on the silvery-blue element, much of which is processed by China.
The Defense Logistics Agency is looking to add to the Pentagon’s cobalt supply over the next five years for the national defense stockpile, according to federal solicitation documents issued last week. The move comes as the White House seeks to reduce reliance on overseas mineral sources.
The stockpile is a strategic reserve of materials managed by the Defense Department to ensure access to essential resources during national emergencies.
Among DLA’s requirements is alloy-grade cobalt totaling about 7,500 tons over the next five years. The agency said it will buy a minimum total of $2 million worth of cobalt from predetermined suppliers based in Canada, Japan and Norway.
The U.S. is looking to obtain up to $500 million worth of cobalt over the next five years for the national defense stockpile, according to federal solicitation documents issued Aug. 20, 2025. (United States Geological Survey)
Over half the global capacity to process and refine cobalt is in China, according to a report last year published by the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. The metallic element is used across the energy, technology and national security sectors, it said.
The U.S. is heavily reliant on imports of cobalt, and global supply chains are vulnerable to bottlenecks and geopolitical risk, the report said.
In June, the Pentagon finalized a $15 million agreement with the U.S. unit of Australian mining company Jervois Global Ltd. to study the feasibility of expanding cobalt extraction in Idaho, the site of the largest cobalt belt in the United States.
The only operating U.S. cobalt mine in the state closed in March 2023 due to falling prices globally, according to a National Public Radio report at the time.
