A report titled “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals” was released by the U.S. Department of Commerce on June 4, 2019 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2019). The report, developed through an interagency process in response to an Executive Order (EO) of the same name (Executive Order 13817, 2017), formalized a whole-of-government strategy for reducing the strategic vulnerabilities associated with high import reliance for critical mineral raw materials that are important for U.S. economic and national security interests. Through six calls to action defining 24 goals, a total of 61 specific steps were described to achieve the objectives of the EO, to be carried out by multiple U.S. government departments and agencies. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Critical Minerals subcommittee was tasked in the report with monitoring the progress of the implementation of the recommendations. Lead departments or agencies have been identified for each of the calls to action defined in the report.
