COLUMBUS, Ohio –
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon spoke about ongoing efforts to develop a circular economy that recovers critical materials from military excess property for supply chain feedstock during the DLA Supply Chain Alliance Symposium & Exhibition June 2-3.
Cannon spoke at a Knowledge Bar and Breakout Session during the symposium hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association in partnership with DLA.
His first presentation for a standing-room-only audience outlined DLA’s initial experiments in removing critical materials scrap and excess equipment, utilizing modern technology and innovative solutions to create high quality feedstock for the defense industrial base.
“Three years ago, we started working with the [DLA Strategic Materials] stockpile team telling them that some of the stuff they are looking for is in our yards,” Cannon said.
At the time of that discussion, he mentioned that companies were still actively mining precious materials and there wasn’t a huge appetite for recovery efforts within the U.S. But since then, the agency has explored pulling Germanium, titanium, and tungsten from the materials service members turn in as excess. He highlighted a recent effort to recover boron carbide found in the protective plates that go into body armor worn by service members.
Boron carbide is an extremely hard material that is a synthetic manufactured ceramic that does not occur naturally in the Earth’s crust. Mined borate minerals are synthesized through high-temperature chemical processing and combined with a carbon source like petroleum cake of graphite.
“We started our first effort in partnership with [Project Executive Office] PEO Soldier and [Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert] ESAPI plates, the protective plates that go into body armor,” Cannon said.
The collaboration highlighted how DLA can turn excess and expired property into a new product that will save government funds.
Cannon highlighted how this circular economy offers a path to resilience by recovering these valuable elements from existing products and waste streams, reducing dependence on foreign sources and new mining. He explained how securing a domestic supply of critical materials and rare earth elements is vital for national security and economic prosperity.
“There is generally excess material we are trying to dispose of, how do we get that in the right hands, so it doesn’t get proliferated to the wrong place,” Army Col. Joel Gleason said, “so get with your local Disposition Services for disposition instructions.”
The first engagement was just a “teaser” for his second speaking session titled, “Closing the Loop on Department of War Asset Disposition.”
“What is the art of the possible when you take scrap and excess in abundance and harvest critical minerals and materials from it?” asked Cannon.
He then explained numerous exercises DLA Disposition Services has conducted over the last few years to recoup precious minerals and materials from excess and scrap that we’ve received, and “close the loop” by making the material available for manufacturers to build new parts with the reclaimed resources, hence a circular economy.
“At the point we receive items we need to change the way we think of items that we receive, instead of a television for example, we need to see it has a source of gallium, copper and other critical material,” Cannon said.
Cannon closed his session by emphasizing that there are materials found in military excess, scrap, or surplus that are vital for national security and modern industry. A circular economy offers a solution by redesigning how the War Department preserves its critical materials. This approach focuses on recovering valuable elements from existing products and waste streams through recycling, reuse, and innovative extraction techniques. By creating a closed-loop system, DLA can help reduce dependence on new mining, minimize environmental impact, and build a more resilient and sustainable domestic supply chain.
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