This is the landing page for all of Silverado's work on critical minerals. It contains policy analysis, recommendations, and data dashboards that cover various countries and sectors.

International and Trade Policy

Mineral Security (MinSec) Trade Policy Framework

In January 2025, Silverado introduced the Mineral Security Trade Policy (MinSec) Framework. It serves as a roadmap for securing vital resources and beginning to break China’s tightening grip on global supply chains. This framework provides a step-by-step process for rapidly securing critical mineral agreements with trusted partners.

Domestic Policy:

Silverado Comments on Section 232 National Security Investigation: Critical Minerals

This provides the comments Silverado submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the Section 232 National Security Investigation of Imports of Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products. The analysis begins by using the Strategic Defense Critical Minerals list, along with a select group of other dual-use minerals to identify those most at risk. An analysis is then conducted of how China has distorted global critical mineral markets, using the rare earth element market as a case study.

Mining: An Unavoidable Reality for Achieving Climate and Technology Objectives

Written in December 2022, this piece argues that focusing on critical minerals as an early action item can mitigate supply chain challenges and put the Western Hemisphere in a globally competitive position in this sector, with far-reaching benefits for economic and national security.

Quad:

Fortifying Minerals Diplomacy: Four Nations, Four Solutions

This article, published in The Foreign Service Journal, proposes a framework for how The Quad partner countries could help secure critical mineral supply chain vulnerabilities. It offers policy recommendations and an overall strategy for how these countries should move forward collectively.

Policy Recommendations on Enhancing U.S.-India Critical Minerals Collaboration

Based on research and discussions during a June 2024 roundtable on “Enhancing U.S.-India Critical Minerals Collaboration,” Silverado, P2P Strategies, and USISPF developed a set of policy recommendations aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation on critical minerals supply chain resiliency.

*Accompanying Dashboard: India Critical Minerals Dashboard

This dashboard, published in June 2024, presents data on minerals mined in India, their applications in the US, U.S. net import reliance, India’s share of global production, and India’s share of global reserves.

Strategic Defense Critical Minerals (Includes Rare Earth Elements):

Strategic Defense Critical Minerals

In this publication from September 2024, Silverado used a geopolitical and national security lens to analyze the three U.S. government critical minerals lists to drive action where the need is most acute. What emerged is a "strategic defense critical minerals" grouping, which identifies 12 minerals that pose the greatest risk to U.S. national security. The 12 strategic defense critical minerals include antimony, arsenic, bismuth, gallium, germanium, indium, natural graphite, rare earth elements, scandium, tantalum, tungsten, and yttrium.

What’s Next for China’s Critical Mineral Hit List?

In this policy brief from January 2025, Silverado addresses how China has intensified its weaponization of critical mineral supply chains, targeting minerals essential to U.S. semiconductor and defense industries. It provides data on Chinese export controls and offers recommendations for a strategy to counter China’s efforts to cut off critical mineral supplies to the U.S.

Strategic Defense Critical Mineral Global Production Dashboard

This dashboard, released in March 2025, illustrates U.S. import reliance on the minerals identified by Silverado as “strategic defense critical minerals.” It also highlights how much refining and/or processing occurs in other countries, including China and Russia.

China Rare Earth Export Dashboard

This dashboard, released in June 2025, provides data on China's global exports of rare earth metals, compounds, and magnets. It also provides key dates that give context to the evolving policy measures implemented by China.

Dual-Use Critical Minerals (Including Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese)

Dual-Use Critical Mineral Global Production Dashboard

This dashboard, released in May 2025, shows mining, refining, and in some cases, product production, as well as global consumption by sector, of what Silverado classifies as “dual-use critical minerals.” These minerals include cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel.

Global Lithium Production and Trade Dashboard

Published in December 2024, this dashboard provides data on global lithium mine production and demand, global exports of lithium concentrates and ores, global trade in lithium carbonate and hydroxide, and the unit value of global lithium compound imports.

Lithium at a Crossroads: Ten Takeaways on the Global Lithium Market

Published in May 2023, this report examines data on lithium supply and demand, the geography of lithium mine production and compound processing, and trade flows. It also analyzes investment trends and offers recommendations based on its findings.

Western Hemisphere:

Deepening Critical Mineral Supply Chains in the Western Hemisphere

Silverado and Principal to Principal hosted a panel in December 2022 to explore opportunities for deepening critical mineral supply chains in the Western Hemisphere. The event featured senior government officials, industry leaders, and policy experts discussing policy and private-sector approaches to securing supply chains for the critical minerals that underpin economic and national security objectives in the region.

Lawfare: China's Growing Influence over Latin America's Mineral Resources

This piece from June 2022 brings attention to China’s growing influence over Latin America’s critical and natural resources. It argues that, “Allowing a geostrategic competitor like China to wield disproportionate influence over access to critical minerals– or allowing production to become concentrated in a single geographic region– poses a serious risk to the United States and its allies.”

Africa:

Critical Minerals in AGOA: Niobium, Tantalum, and Vanadium

This report from July 2024 assesses the state of niobium, tantalum, and vanadium production and trade in the subset of Sub-Saharan African countries eligible for African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) benefits in 2024.

Critical Minerals in AGOA: Platinum-Group Metals

Also published in July 2024, this report evaluates the current state of platinum-group metal (PGM) production in Sub-Saharan African countries eligible for AGOA benefits. It focuses on mine production, refinery output, PGM exports, and tariff rates.

Comments to USTR on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience

In April 2024, Silverado submitted comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), recommending targeted actions, including the prioritization of key supply chains such as critical minerals. Among the recommendations was a call for USTR to direct the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to initiate Section 332 Fact-Finding Investigations in those prioritized supply chains.

Recovery and Circularity:

Circular Economy and Critical Minerals in Electrical and Electronic Products

This analysis from June 2022 assesses the recycling potential of the world's consumer electronics and makes it clear that Circular Economy models offer significant support to critical material supply. It finds this to be especially true of electrical and electronic products, which can lower demand for newly mined materials and diversify the supply of minerals where a single country dominates mining.

The Hill: Recycling critical minerals is an underappreciated national security tool 

This article from May 2022 argues that a circular economy is a national security imperative. It claims that it should be implemented in conjunction with a reverse supply chain strategy for critical materials, as both will be essential for securing a stable supply of critical minerals for the U.S.

Contact:

Mahnaz Khan: Mahnaz@silverado.org

David Kelm: David@silverado.org

Andrew David: Andy@silverado.org

Andrew Knipe: Aknipe@silverado.org