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The Defense Logistics Agency committed $2 billion during fiscal year 2026 to buy strategic and critical materials for the National Defense Stockpile, the agency said in an article published on War.gov on Friday, Nov. 6.
Related: Pentagon Commits $850 Million in Loans to Drone, Radar and Battery Makers in Four Days.
What the stockpile buys
The stockpile holds materials needed for military, industrial and essential civilian needs in a national emergency that are not available commercially in sufficient quantities, the agency said. Materials range from high-purity aluminum to vanadium pentoxide, according to DLA.
Most critical-mineral contracts awarded through DLA’s Contracting Services Office were targeted demand signals meant to enable domestic production, said Eric Mata, director of DLA Strategic Materials.
Why domestic sourcing
Mata said domestic sourcing matters most when a material is essential to defense, has concentrated or vulnerable supply chains, is hard to replace and is not readily available from reliable sources. “In those cases, domestic acquisition and stockpiling can help reduce single-point-of-failure risks,” he said.
DLA said recovery, recycling, refining and processing can also produce stockpile materials alongside mining. The materials support aerospace, maritime, ground, space, communications and munitions-related industries, Mata said.
What is not public
The article did not list individual contracts, suppliers or quantities. More defense coverage is on the War News hub.
Sources
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