“Western militaries may lose access to critical materials needed for weapons and other systems, because of the growing demand for new technologies, questionable supply lines and production in unfriendly or dangerous countries,” USA Today reports.  

From a NATO documdent: “Key strategic materials are those that are crucial in the manufacture of sophisticated military hardware or components such as airframes, gas turbines, rocket motors, munitions, armor and electronics. These materials are becoming increasingly scarce.”  

“Most troubling, the NATO report says, is that ‘many of these materials and products are not produced within NATO countries.’ Instead, they come from rival nations, such as China and Russia, or those mired in internal conflicts and civil war, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. That limits NATO’s access to the metals and minerals that make up key parts of important weapons and aircraft.”