The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) says it committed $2 billion (C$2.8 billion) to acquire strategic and critical materials for the National Defense Stockpile during fiscal 2026, which ended Sept. 30.
The agency disclosed the total in a Nov. 5 announcement but did not identify the contracts, suppliers or quantities involved, or say how much had been paid out or delivered.
“These efforts are helping domestic companies plan production, retain skilled workers and expand capacity where economically viable,” DLA Strategic Materials director Eric Mata said in the release.
The fiscal-year tally updates Washington’s efforts to turn government buying power into reliable mineral supplies. DLA’s lithium tender delays in July highlighted the difficulty of converting purchasing plans into physical material, even as the government seeks to reduce dependence on foreign sources.
Existing commitments
The Pentagon’s stockpiling campaign was already under way in October 2025, when it moved to acquire up to $1 billion of critical minerals, the Financial Times reported.
Congress provided $2 billion for the stockpile through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025, with the money available through fiscal 2029. In its April budget submission, DLA said authority to use that appropriation came in fiscal 2026.
DLA did not explain how the latest total relates to that funding or to previously announced contracts.
For example, The Elmet Group (Nasdaq: ELMT) announced a tungsten supply contract in September with a ceiling of $2 billion and a guaranteed minimum commitment of $150 million. The company said deliveries would wait until additional supply became available. That contract ceiling cannot be treated as another $2 billion of committed spending.
The defence stockpile is also separate from Project Vault, the reserve for manufacturers backed by Export-Import Bank of the United States financing. Project Vault was preparing to offer up to $1 billion in loans to manufacturers in October.
Domestic supply
The National Defense Stockpile holds materials for military and essential civilian needs during national emergencies, when commercial supplies may fall short. Most of DLA’s critical mineral contracts were intended to encourage domestic production, Mata said.
Materials sourced for the stockpile can range from high-purity aluminum to vanadium pentoxide, DLA said, without identifying the materials covered by the latest total. Recovery and recycling can provide additional domestic sources where technically and economically feasible, Mata said.
“Domestic sourcing is especially important when a material is essential to national defense, is subject to concentrated or vulnerable supply chains, is difficult to replace, and is not readily available from reliable sources in the quantities or forms required,” Mata said. “In those cases, domestic acquisition and stockpiling can help reduce single-point-of-failure risks, sustain U.S. industrial capability, and preserve material availability during disruption.”
Source: www.northernminer.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.
