FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
As administrator of the National Defense Stockpile, the Defense Logistics Agency recognizes that the availability of strategic and critical materials is a national issue, not just a defense issue, the DLA Acquisition director said during a collaboration forum here Aug. 21 to launch the strategic materials research and development program of record.
“Along with the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment who manages and sets policy for the NDS, we are actively supporting an inventory of about 50 different critical materials, but that’s certainly not all of them,” Matt Beebe said, noting that while fiscal 2025 appropriations allocated $2 billion to acquire additional materials for the NDS, ensuring critical material resiliency is more expansive than the stockpile alone.
DLA has already posted or plans to post contract solicitations for 30 critical materials needed for the NDS, he said. He acknowledged that increasing existing quantities or purchasing new materials would not fulfil all defense requirements that DLA Strategic Materials identifies, an office he oversees, but said it’s a significant start.
Beebe was one of about 150 in-person and virtual attendees from government, academia and industry who participated in the DLA Acquisition and DLA R&D co-hosted event to learn about the strategic materials R&D program, now part of DLA’s manufacturing technology portfolio.
The U.S. is dependent on raw materials from foreign sources for a wide range of strategic materials which are also critical for weapons systems sustainment. By working with industry and government partners, including the Departments of Energy and Commerce and U.S. Geological Survey, the R&D program will help DOD address critical material challenges by lowering costs, shortening lead times and reducing security risks associated with imported materials, R&D Program Manager Vaibhav Jain said.
Developing domestic supply chains for strategic and critical minerals is a top priority at the federal level, as seen in recent executive orders and congressional legislation, he added.
“Increasing the scope and scale of the R&D program is necessary to meet expanding U.S. requirements for these materials and ensure the warfighter has uninterrupted access to the world’s most advanced weapons platforms,” he said.
Previously under the DLA Small Business Innovation Program, the goals of the newly expanded program are to partner with the military services to identify short, mid- and long-term critical materials challenges and align them with industry to bring lab-scale technologies to full-scale production, strengthening national security and the defense industrial base.
The SBIP will continue to be an important part of the program, as small business innovation helps develop new technologies and fosters ideas to replace legacy processes and materials, Jain said.
An important aspect of the DLA strategic materials program is using R&D technology solutions to help reduce risks in the critical materials supply chain where there are either single or no domestic sources, DLA Strategic Materials Administrator Eric Mata said during the event’s keynote address.
“We have a long track record of collaborating with DLA R&D on impactful projects in the critical minerals space and there’s a lot of value in continuing that aspect of the program,” he said.
He highlighted one such project to reclaim boron carbide from demilitarized Enhanced Small-Arms Protective Insert body armor plates. DLA worked with a contractor to remove the material, crush it and re-use it to manufacture new plates for ballistics testing.
He also discussed R&D’s on-going assistance with finding a domestically-produced germanium substitute which could help supplement a current recycling project between the U.S. Army and DLA to recover and recycle germanium from night vision googles and other weapons sighting systems.
“We are currently recovering roughly 10% of annual U.S. needs and I think that going forward there is potential for expanded recovery beyond the current rate. It's been a really successful program,” he said.
The event also included a panel with DLA, Army and industry representatives discussing strategic material projects that solve supply chain issues and encourage industry financial buy-in.
Jain said one of the reasons DLA has such an excellent return on investment for its R&D projects is because it keeps a close eye on the commercial successes of its technologies.
“That's why our ROI is more than 300%. We only fund R&D projects with a realistic model system,” he said, noting that while DLA funds more practical research, it also takes its research to the next level through programs like the Rapid Innovation Fund, Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies and other congressionally funded sources.
He said the program’s current topics of interest involve hypersonic thermal protection systems, energetic materials, rare earth elements and battery components.
The balance of the event included hands-on demonstrations with industry representatives and small group sessions to further discuss topics such as domestic mineral supply chains and warfighter requirements.