Everyone is laughing at the USA

Russia's big lol... Why is Vlad so cheerful: see this (Posted by the Russian news agency RT) today. China knows it too (here)

The U.S. defense industry is 100 percent dependent on China for rare earth metals, alloys, magnets and other post-oxide materials. The U.S. sold off all of its strategic rare earth stockpiles in the 1990s.

U.S. smart weapon inventories would only last a few month, if not weeks in any conflict larger than the recent U.S. actions in Syria (here).

Without Chinese rare earth metals and other post-oxide materials new guided missiles, smart bombs, laser targeting systems, night vision goggles, fighter jets, drones and other military equipment cannot be replaced. Much of the Pentagon's Aegis command and control system would fail (here).

The U.S. Government Accounting Office report estimated that it could take 15 years for the U.S. to build its own domestic rare earth value chain.

The sad truth is that China can influence or control the outcome of any extended U.S. conflict.

NOTE 1: Don't confuse mined rare earth concentrates or oxides with rare earth metals. Oxides have no meaningful technology or defense application. The U.S. does not produce rare earth metals. China is the only country in the world with a fully integrated rare earth value chain. All rare earth metals used in the U.S. come from China (directly or indirectly).

NOTE 2: Without these weapons the U.S. is in for a different kind of fight than it has grown accustom to. Command and control systems would no fully function as designed. American troops would need to confront the 'enemy' on more equal terms... Casualties would escalate and more coffins would come home.

NOTE 3: China's rare earth monopoly is directly supported at the highest levels of the Chinese government. At the commercial level its monopoly was used to successfully capture western IP, technology and manufacturing. At the military level it has gained influence and/or control over U.S. defense contractors. Consequently, China will maintain this monopoly at any cost.