"War metal" is in a state of emergency, and the United States is searching globally for tungsten resources.

With the outbreak of conflicts in the Middle East, the high-end ammunition stocks of the United States and its allies are being consumed at an unprecedented rate. Tungsten metal is rapidly becoming a core strategic resource in the global military and technology industry chain, which has also forced the United States to urgently seek this strategic material globally. From the "Tomahawk" cruise missile, the "Patriot" air defense system, to bunker buster bombs, armor-piercing rounds, and advanced fighter jet components, tungsten penetrates almost every aspect of the modern high-end weapons system. Due to its extremely high melting point, super hardness, and density close to gold, tungsten metal is seen as an irreplaceable "war metal." Industry insiders point out that with the frequent occurrence of global geopolitical conflicts and the rapid growth of arms requirements, the issue of tungsten supply shortage is gradually escalating from the industrial level to the national security level. Since the outbreak of the war between the US and Iran at the end of February this year, the pressure on global tungsten supply has further intensified. The US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned last month that the current high-intensity military consumption could lead to a recovery period of several years for some critical ammunition stocks of the US military, which also means that the demand for key raw materials such as tungsten will remain high in the future. According to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the US needs to import more than 6,000 tons of processed tungsten products every year. It is worth noting that commercial tungsten mines in the US have been almost stagnant since 2015, and the related industry chain has shrunk for many years, leading to a high dependence on overseas supply and recycling systems. Now, with the surge in global military demand, the US is accelerating the reconstruction of the tungsten supply chain within its own territory and among allies. A recently re-entered old mine in the eastern mountains of South Korea has come back into view in the market. In March this year, the US company Almonty Industries restarted the Sangdong tungsten mine, which was an important resource base during South Korea's industrialization period. Now, against the backdrop of soaring global demand for tungsten, this mine that has been silent for decades is once again given strategic significance. Almonty CEO Lewis Black said that there are not many tungsten mines globally with the true large-scale production capacity, and future tungsten demand will not only come from military industry but also continue to benefit from the expansion of the technology industry. Tungsten demand will only continue to increase in the future indeed. In fact, tungsten is widely used in semiconductors, batteries, smartphones, and high-performance electronic devices. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, and advanced manufacturing, the "strategic attribute" of tungsten is expanding from the military industry to the technology infrastructure sector. "In the next 10 to 20 years, tungsten demand will only continue to increase," said Steve Allen, chief operating officer of Almonty. "Establishing a stable and resilient tungsten supply chain will be an important part of future industrial competitiveness." However, tungsten mining development is not an easy task. Due to the complexity of extracting tungsten ore, high environmental requirements, and huge capital expenditures, the global release of new production capacity is extremely slow. Industry insiders point out that insufficient investments in the tungsten industry by Western countries over the past few decades have led to apparent gaps in technology, talents, and supporting systems. Lewis Black frankly said, "Without expertise, consultants to consult, and textbooks to refer to. The talent and experience of the entire industry gradually disappeared after the 1990s, and many knowledge systems are being rebuilt almost from scratch." Currently, the US government has begun to promote the construction of critical mineral reserves from a national strategic level and strengthen supply security through fiscal support, international cooperation, and mining investments. In addition to promoting the restart of domestic mines in North America, US capital is also deploying new tungsten mines and processing projects in resource-rich regions such as Central Asia. Analysts believe that the global tungsten industry may enter a long-term "high prosperity cycle" in the future. Under the mismatch between supply and demand, the price of tungsten may still have upward momentum in the medium to long term. However, it is generally believed in the industry that the reconstruction of the supply chain will be a long process. Even if major economies continue to promote localization layout, it may still take decades to truly form a complete and independent tungsten industry system. During this period, the competition over critical mineral resources may become one of the important main themes in future global industrial competition and geopolitical game. This article is reprinted from "Caishen", written by Niu Zhanlin; GMTEight editor: Xu Wenqiang.