National Security and Strategic Minerals: An Analysis of U.S. Dependence on Foreign Sources of Cobalt

Using the mineral cobalt as a case study, Barry M. Blechman explores the consequences of U.S. dependence on foreign sources of strategic minerals. He considers a variety of contingencies in which cobalt supplies could be interrupted and describes alternative policies to guard against such events. He also argues that new technologies to increase the potential viability of domestically mined, competitively priced cobalt warrant further development and evaluation.