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House Committee Seeks Information on DOD's Deep-Sea Critical Mineral Mining Efforts to Counter Chinese Communist Party

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has issued a letter to Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth, demanding a staff-level briefing on the department's efforts to comply with President Trump's executive order on deep-sea exploration and mineral mining. The executive order, issued in April 2025, aimed at unleashing American offshore initiatives to maintain leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources. Chairman Comer expressed concerns that China's Communist Party (CCP) is actively pursuing the extraction and commercialization of deep-sea minerals, potentially threatening the security of smaller nations in the Pacific.

Key Takeaways:

  • Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has issued a letter to DoD Secretary Pete Hegseth, requesting a staff-level briefing on the department's compliance with President Trump's executive order on deep-sea exploration and mineral mining.
  • The executive order, issued in April 2025, aims at unleashing American offshore initiatives to maintain leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources.
  • The CCP has designs to extract and commercialize deep-sea mineral resources, potentially threatening the security of smaller nations in the Pacific.
  • Technologies developed for deep-sea exploration and mining will have a significant impact on both the maritime and defense sectors, making the dual-use nature of these technologies crucial for both commercial use and U.S. national security.
  • China is establishing Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with small island nations around the globe, particularly in areas with high concentrations of critical minerals.
  • The CCP's actions are emboldening China's encroachment on sovereign waters and threatening the security of smaller nations in the Pacific.

Statistics:

  • 1 in April 2025, President Trump issued a presidential action on unleashing America's offshore critical minerals and resources.
  • 1 in April 2025, Chairman Comer issued a letter to DoD Secretary Hegseth, requesting a staff-level briefing on the department's compliance with President Trump's executive order.
  • By 2025, China has established Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with small island nations around the globe, particularly in areas with high concentrations of critical minerals.
  • By 2024, China was reported to be dominating the deep-sea and its wealth of rare metals according to a Washington Post article.

Sources:

  • "Understanding the Executive Order on Deep-sea Mining and Critical Minerals: Part 1, what are we talking about?", Andrew Thaler, Southern Fried Science (Apr. 25, 2025).
  • "Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources", Presidential Actions, The White House (Apr. 24, 2025).
  • "China is set to dominate the deep sea and its wealth of rare metals", Lily Kuo, WASH. POST (Oct. 19, 2024).
  • "Uncharted territory: deep-sea mining and the underwater domain", Darshana M. Baruah, Int'l Ins. for Strategic Studies (Mar. 25, 2024).
  • "Why China, Not the United States, Is Making the Rules for Deep-Sea Mining", Isaac B. Kardon & Sarah Camacho, Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace (Dec. 19, 2023).

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