Responding to a written parliamentary question, Pollard set out work under way to improve the resilience of critical raw material supply chains and reduce exposure to individual suppliers and higher-risk sources.
Pollard said: “The Department is addressing dependencies on concentrated sources of Critical Minerals likely to be affecting the defence sector by improving visibility and enhancing collaboration with industry and like-minded Allies (including NATO and Australia).”
He added: “Efforts focus on developing alternative sources of supply, investing in allied capacity, ensuring security of supply and promoting recycling and substitution to reduce reliance on single suppliers and high-risk geographies.”
The work forms part of the Government’s wider Vision 2035: UK Critical Mineral Strategy, with the MOD involved in implementing measures intended to strengthen access to materials required by defence and advanced industries.
Australia is one of the countries involved in that work, of course. Pollard said: “MOD is also playing an active role in implementing Vision 2035: UK Critical Mineral Strategy through this work, and on 10 June, signed a new Joint Statement of Intent with Australia on collaboration to secure critical minerals supply chains for Defence.”
The Government is also backing efforts to restore a domestic source of tungsten through the Hemerdon mine in Devon. Pollard said: “Furthermore, the UK Government is investing £71 million through the National Wealth Fund to restart Tungsten West’s Hemerdon mine in Devon, securing the ability to negotiate over the next 6 months for a domestic supply of tungsten, a strategically important mineral used in defence and advanced industries.”
Tungsten is used across a range of industrial and defence applications where high density, strength and resistance to heat are required. The Government’s investment in Hemerdon is intended to give the UK an opportunity to negotiate access to domestic production rather than relying entirely on overseas sources.
The MOD’s work also covers recycling and material substitution, alongside efforts to identify alternative suppliers and increase production capacity among allied countries. The department is working with NATO and Australia as part of that effort, while also seeking better visibility of where defence-related supply chains remain exposed to concentrated sources.
Pollard said the work reflected the growing importance of these materials to both the economy and national security, with early discussions identifying areas where countries face common supply risks.
He stated: “This recognises that critical minerals are essential to our modern economy and increasingly our national security, with initial exchanges identifying opportunities for closer collaboration on shared critical mineral supply risks.”