Department of War Invests $27M for the Domestic Excavation, Extraction, Processing, and Refinement of Antimony

The Department of War announced today a February 24, 2026, investment of $27 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funds to U.S. Antimony Corporation (USAC) for the domestic extraction, processing, and refinement of antimony. This investment was delayed due to the government shutdown. The investment uses funds from the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022. It also supports the Administration’s goal to increase the production of processed critical minerals and other derivative products as articulated in the March 20, 2025, Executive Order 14241 – Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.

“For too long, DOW has depended on overseas sources for its critical mineral production,” said Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Mike Cadenazzi. “This investment will address risk in one of our most critical munitions and materials supply chains.”

Using DPA Title III funds, USAC will modernize and expand the company’s capacity in Montana to refine and produce antimony necessary for flame retardants, batteries, munitions, and other defense applications. In parallel, this investment will support USAC’s initiative to establish domestic antimony excavation and extraction in Alaska. By securing domestic feedstock, USAC has positioned itself to enable full vertical integration across the supply chain from ore extraction to mid-stream floatation capabilities to finished antimony products.

“Strong domestic mineral supply chains are essential to support our warfighting capability,” added Mr. Jeffrey Frankston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Resilience, which oversees the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate. “This is a crucial investment for strengthening our national defense.”

This is one of three investments made by the DPA Purchases Office totaling $58.5 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2026. The MCEIP Directorate oversees the DPA Purchases Office.

For more information on MCEIP, please visit: https://www.businessdefense.gov/ibr/mceip/index.html

About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP)

The OASW(IBP) works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the Warfighter, now and in the future. OASW(IBP) also uses a new Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) to solicit new ideas for research or prototype project solutions for critical supply chain resiliency focus areas. This OTA underscores the Department’s ongoing dedication to safeguarding the integrity of our crucial supply chain and promptly giving our Warfighters the materials and technologies they need to accomplish their missions. To learn more about the DIBC OTA, please visit: https://www.dibconsortium.org.