by Victoria Patti | July 30, 2026
Two Institutes Launch a Research Project to Secure Navy Supply Chains Against Critical Mineral Vulnerabilities
Research Project: Financial Tools to Support Navy Supply Chain Resilience
GOLDEN, CO — The Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and Defense Industrial Base Institute (DIBI) of Northeastern University has started a new research partnership aimed at strengthening the U.S. Marine Industrial Base (MIB) and securing Navy supply chains against strategic vulnerabilities. In an era of strategic competition and weaponized supply chains, the project will assess advanced financial tools to unlock private capital and stimulate domestic and allied country production of critical minerals and materials.
Working in collaboration with members of the MIB and DIBI partners, the research will identify critical minerals (excluding rare earths) that pose the highest risk to Navy technologies if foreign access is disrupted. The project will ultimately deliver an implementation roadmap detailing proposed government financial interventions—such as price guarantees, offtake agreements, and capital activation—targeted at specific projects designed to shield domestic defense manufacturing from market volatility and foreign interference.
“Industrial resilience will be critical for the U.S. to prevail in the next crisis or conflict,” says Brad Handler the project manager for the Payne Institute. “Fundamental to the success of our effort will be in understanding precisely which financial mechanisms… will help unlock private capital to promote domestic and allies production and manufacturing of these key inputs to our defense.”
The project runs through September 15, 2026, will fund the Mines Mineral and Energy Economics graduate students as researchers and host a convening workshop in 2026 to vet its findings with industry stakeholders. We are deeply honored and grateful for the support from DIBI as we continue to conduct this work.
About the Payne Institute
The mission of the Payne Institute at Colorado School of Mines is to provide world-class scientific insights, helping to inform and shape public policy on earth resources, energy, and environment. The Institute was established with an endowment from Jim and Arlene Payne and seeks to link the strong scientific and engineering research and expertise at Mines with issues related to public policy and national security.
About the Defense Industrial Base Institute (DIBI)
DIBI is a solutions engine for America’s defense industrial base. Based at Northeastern University, we convene experts and leaders across government, industry, and academia; calibrate bold ideas for real-world impact; and catalyze private capital to scale what works. Our mission is to mobilize the expertise, funding, and partners needed to solve—at scale—the workforce, manufacturing, and supply chain challenges of rebuilding the arsenal of democracy.
For more information about the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Greg Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.