"If" the US vitally needs those elements? How much modern tech (or military hardware) can you name that doesn't require rare earths? > Molycorp Last I heard,

"If" the US vitally needs those elements? How much modern tech (or military hardware) can you name that doesn't require rare earths? > Molycorp Last I heard, they filed for bankruptcy, probably because of China cornering the refinement market. > The mine has been plagued with legal/financial problems Yes. The video I linked to was an attempt to work around those problems. It failed, but that doesn't mean a domestic source cannot happen in the future. for the rest, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10310969 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10310969