Powering the Battlefield: Minerals fueling India’s military

Despite their names, rare soil elements (Rees) are a group of 17 basic metal metal metal, which is moderately abundant in the world crust. ‘Rareness’ is rarely due to their rare concentrations for economic extraction. These elements are the basis of modern technology from consumer electronics to advanced defense systems.

What are Rare Earth Elements (Rees)?

17 Among the Ree, there were 15 lantanid (57-71 atomic numbers), as well as scandyum (SC) and YTTRİUM (Y). In general, they are divided into two categories:

• LIGHT RARE ELEMENTS (LREES)
• HEAVY RARE ELEMENTS (HREEs)

India has Lrees reserves such as Lantanim, Serium, Neodimium, Praseodymium and Samarium. However, there is no commercial significant HREES such as dysprosium, my manners and Europyum, and creates an important import addiction.

Global Market: China’s dominance

The global ree market is intensively intensified and China controls about 70% of global production. This sovereignty creates important geopolitical risks for imports.

• Reserves: China, 44 million tons of the world’s largest reserves (38% of the global total), followed by Brazil (18%).
• Production: In 2023, China produced 240,000 tons of rees, which made up two -thirds of 356,000 tons of global production. The US was a remote second and produced 12.2%.
• Exports: China is also the largest exporter responsible for 64% of global export value and surprising 86% of the amount. Ree exports grew in 11.6% CAGR from 2018 to 2023.

Primary importers are Japan (57% of the global import value) and Malaysia (70% of the amount of global imports). India is greatly relying on China, which provides 81% of India’s Ree import value in 2022.

Why are Ree critical for technology and defense?

Rees has unique magnetic, luminous and catalytic properties that make more than 200 products indispensable in products.

The heart of modern technology

Key minerals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium are required for home batteries, while Rees is vital for these:

• Mobile phones and computer hard drives
• ELECTRIC AND HYBRITE VEHICLES
• Semiconductors and advanced electronics
• Flat screen TV and monitors

For example, rare soil magnets are much stronger than traditional magnets, which is necessary to minimize and improve the efficiency of high -tech devices.

The backbone of modern defense

A few Ree is very important for military applications. 2025 shows the estimated percentage of the total Ree demand for a specific element in defense and technology.

• Neodimum (ND): Used in high -performance magnets for missile guidance, avionics, radar and sonar systems. Predicted Use: 38%.
• DYSPROGE (DY): Provides thermal stability for magnets used in UAV drive, radar systems and hidden coatings. Predicted Use: 24%.
• SAMARIUM (SM): Key for heat -resistant magnets in missile components, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and lasers. Predicted Use: 12%.
• YTTRIUM (Y): Vital for high temperature alloys and lasers used in hidden coatings, night vision systems and communication modules. Predicted Use: 9%.
• Terbium (TB): It improves magnet performance in radar systems and UAV motors. Predicted Use: 8%.
• Gadolinium (GD): Used for radar absorption and special optics for sonar, hidden coatings and mineral detection. Predicted use: 5%.
• Europium (EU): Night visual glasses and advanced heads-up screens are required for phosphorus. Predicted Use: 4%.

Increased demand and geopolitical risk

As the world goes into clean energy, the demand for Rees will explode. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global demand may rise between 180-202 kilotons from 93 kilotons to 2050 in 2024. The share of the Ree used in clean technologies is expected to increase from 18% to 40% in the same period.

This increasing demand is combined with a high concentrated supply chain, shifting energy safety risks from fossil fuels to critical minerals. Unlike diversified oil and gas markets, the Ree market can easily deteriorate with geopolitical factors.

India’s plan to rely on Ree

India follows a versatile strategy to guarantee the Ree supply chain to resist these risks.

Reduce strategies and difficulties

Countries usually have three options to reduce supply dependence, each of which has their disadvantages:

• Recycling: This process is water and energy intensive and requires a solid supply chain to collect e-Atık.
• R & D: Investing in alternatives is financially expensive, time-consuming and does not guarantee success.
• Alternative imports: Source from other countries is often limited to geopolitic restrictions.

India’s strategic initiatives

India is actively working to overcome these difficulties and create a flexible ree ecosystem.

• Increasing domestic capabilities: Irel (India), a state -owned business established in 1950, is leading Ree’s extraction and processing. The US has recently released Irel from the ‘asset list’, which is a movement that will help strengthen India’s critical mineral supply chain. ILEL also appointed a rare soil permanent magnet facility in Visakhapatnam to produce Samarium-Cobalt magnets.
• Policies and Partnerships: The government has initiated various important initiatives, including the establishment of Khanij Bidesh India LTD (Kabul) to purchase overseas mineral assets, to participate in US -led mineral security partnerships and to change the Law of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation).
• Import diversification: India is investigating new partnerships. Kazakhstan offers a promising alternative to remove Ree imports from China with its 15 rees and its resident capacity.

(The author of this article is a defense, aviation and political analyst based on Bengaluru. In addition, Add Engineering components, India, PVT. Ltd, Add Engineering GmbH is a subsidiary of Germany.

(Waiver: The views mentioned above are the author itself and do not reflect that of DNA)