From Mine to Missile: Why Material Access Does Not Equal Military Output

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Senior Research Fellow Jahara Matisek write about how debates on critical minerals and defense supply chains tend to focus too heavily on material origins. While policymakers track imports and analysts watch trade with China, the defense industrial base still struggles to convert access to minerals into sustained military output. Awareness has improved, but not capability.  May 1, 2026.