The Future of Critical Minerals and National Security: 2024 CSIS-West Point Conference

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations at the United States Military Academy at West Point will host the inaugural Critical Minerals and National Security Conference at West Point on October 18, 2024. The conference will explore the role of minerals diplomacy in meeting national security needs in an era of rising global tension, the formation of new geopolitical alliances, and mechanisms for cooperation.  

China currently controls between 60-90% of the world's processing capacity for critical minerals required for defense, technology, and the energy transition. Russia’s economy and its ability to fund its war in Ukraine is based on natural resources, reflecting the need for diversified minerals supply chains. Our speakers will address these threats to national security and more, and how to respond. This will include a conversation about the pivotal role that new alliances such as Saudi Arabia play in the new multi-polar world and the role of emerging markets in meeting US national security needs. The event will feature insights from leading experts, including former senior U.S. diplomats and West Point alumni with experience working at the highest levels of national security and the mining industry. 

This event is made possible by general funding to CSIS and the CSIS Project on Critical Minerals Security.