One such target is tungsten. Tungsten may not roll off of the tongue, or sound as alluring as rare earths, but the obscure metal is known for its density and exceptionally high melting point—making it a key component in everything from turbine blades to munitions that can pierce armor . World powers have long clashed over tungsten, also known as wolfram; in World War II, for example, the Allied countries sought to strangle Spanish tungsten flows to Nazi Germany.
Alarmed by the United States’ exposure to China’s rare earths chokehold, the Trump administration is accelerating efforts to identify and plug any of the country’s other potential mineral vulnerabilities.
Alarmed by the United States’ exposure to China’s rare earths chokehold, the Trump administration is accelerating efforts to identify and plug any of the country’s other potential mineral vulnerabilities.
One such target is tungsten. Tungsten may not roll off of the tongue, or sound as alluring as rare earths, but the obscure metal is known for its density and exceptionally high melting point—making it a key component in everything from turbine blades to munitions that can pierce armor.
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