How do we put our country in these situations

Yeah this is just a bit concerning. Reliance on others for anything, yet alone something like this, or food or energy (not to mention from enemies) is such a risk.

Makes one lose sleep at night.
 
As a multi-talented USAF type (read: active duty and active reserve) I worked in the semiconductor industry for many years. I watched as our production was shifted offshore, and then much of our development, all of our packaging, and then our finances.

Why?
Most folks will say "cheap labor." And while compared to US wages, overseas is often lower, that's not the reason. Production was shifted offshore due to several reasons: first, building a wafer fabrication plant in the USA cost around $2B and took years, if not decades of paperwork, environmental impact, and legal challenges from the "save the INSERT SOMETHING society", etc. When we moved to China, yes the cost of the wafer fab was still well north of $1B however the PRC government exempted the company from corporate taxes (on production, building, wages, etc) for 10 years. And after that, any new facility was exempted for five years. What was the "catch?" We had to hire local labor. In essence, we trained our competition. So even though the corporate name was a US company, China was running it.

Why the finances? Simple: corporate tax rates. The USA corporate tax rates, until the previous administration, were one of the highest in the world. We had to pay 35% of all revenue in corporate taxes. A public company can't survive with that. There are quite a few countries with tax rates that high; and nobody develops there and, subsequently, many of them are third-world doomed. My wife's company moved their financial base from the USA (35% tax rate) to Barbados and Ireland (5.5% and 12.5% respectively) and saw instant profits that they were able to put back into their production (mostly moved from the USA to Thailand: five years tax-free for every new development) and to dividends to their shareholders, which is the number one priority for a public company.

And suddenly, everything was moved offshore. Today? When she goes to hire a new engineer or analyst she has to base them in Asia, Eastern Europe, or Ireland. Why? Lower cost regions.

And suddenly, we're reliant upon other countries...
 
Well what do folks suggest we could have done differently or should do in the future as far as this rare and vital mineral?.

Five countries mine and produce and only 5. And none of those 5 are the USA. None are in North America. ( I wish we had Wikipedia when I was a student)

Unless we want to depend totally on Australia the #5 producer I suggest we stay friendly with #1-#4. At least a few of them.
 

www.whitehouse.gov

FACT SHEET: Securing a Made in America Supply Chain for Critical Minerals | The White House

Biden-Harris Administration, Companies Announce Major Investments to Expand Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain, Breaking Dependence on China and
www.whitehouse.gov www.whitehouse.gov

theconversation.com

The US is worried about its critical minerals supply chains – essential for electric vehicles, wind power and the nation’s defense

Right now, the nation is almost entirely dependent on other countries for minerals that are used in everything from wind turbines to strike fighters and satellites.
theconversation.com theconversation.com
1654787238121.png

Most critical minerals can not be sourced in N. America. It is a major concern. Stockpiling is one aspect of our strategy but it is likely future military actions will be initiated to secure these materials.
 
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On the subject of Semiconductor “Foundry” services, Taiwan Semiconductor produces approximately 60% of all wafers and packaging …. The chip design comes before fabrication. It is done in SW and can be done anywhere.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger after recent Congressional hearings …. We must invest more in Foundries on US soil.

Intel CEO urges Congress to 'act now' on domestic chip production | Fox Business

Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger argued that Congress “must act now” to boost semiconductor chip manufacturing amid a global shortage before it’s too late.
www.foxbusiness.com www.foxbusiness.com
.
 
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USMCGrunt said:

www.whitehouse.gov

FACT SHEET: Securing a Made in America Supply Chain for Critical Minerals | The White House

Biden-Harris Administration, Companies Announce Major Investments to Expand Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain, Breaking Dependence on China and
www.whitehouse.gov www.whitehouse.gov

theconversation.com

The US is worried about its critical minerals supply chains – essential for electric vehicles, wind power and the nation’s defense

Right now, the nation is almost entirely dependent on other countries for minerals that are used in everything from wind turbines to strike fighters and satellites.
theconversation.com theconversation.com
View attachment 12247

Most critical minerals can not be sourced in N. America. It is a major concern. Stockpiling is one aspect of our strategy but it is likely future military actions will be initiated to secure these materials.
Click to expand...
Great chart. The one's that really concern me are in Asia.
 
Dr. Strange Love said:
.
On the subject of Semiconductor “Foundry” services, Taiwan Semiconductor produces approximately 60% of all wafers and packaging …. The chip design comes before fabrication. It is done in SW and can be done anywhere.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger after recent Congressional hearings …. We must invest more in Foundries on US soil.

Intel CEO urges Congress to 'act now' on domestic chip production | Fox Business

Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger argued that Congress “must act now” to boost semiconductor chip manufacturing amid a global shortage before it’s too late.
www.foxbusiness.com www.foxbusiness.com
.
Click to expand...
Exactly!

TSMC in Taiwan is THE source...lose that and the entire global semiconductor network will belong to an adversary nation.
 
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