Critical Defense Materials: Government Collected Data Are Sufficiently Reliable to Assess Tantalum Availability

Abstract

The United States relies on foreign mine production of tantalum, a corrosion-resistant metal that is used in commercial and defense applications. Having reliable information on the global supply of tantalum is important for defense planning, particularly in determining if it is necessary to stockpile in case of future shortages. The House Armed Services Committee Report on a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 included a provision for GAO to examine the global tantalum supply chain, with a focus on why data reported by the government and by industry vary.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1005577

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Geological Surveys
  • Government (Foreign)
  • Governments
  • House Of Representatives
  • Mobile Phones
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Processing Equipment
  • Strategic Materials
  • Supply Chain
  • United States
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Metallurgy
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting