John Carl,
Editor
May 30, 2025
When most people think of the Department of Defense, they imagine soldiers, tanks, guns.
A more advanced perspective might include computers, contractor bids, and intelligence reports — and the many unfortunate conflicts around the world that require America’s direct attention.
But few people, if anyone, think of water runoff in a mine in West Virginia, a massive pile of old light bulbs in Nebraska, or industrial warehouses in the swamps of Louisiana filled wall-to-wall with outdated computer parts.
And yet this is exactly where the Department of Defense has decided to invest a lot of its recent budget.
It’s not a small amount, either.
Since 2020, the Department of Defense has put $439 million into projects exactly like this.
And get this: by direct executive order of President Trump (and also as Commander-in-Chief in a second set of orders) the Department of Defense has been instructed to find more water runoff, more piles of light bulbs, and more outdated computer parts.
They’ve also been authorized to spend even more money — and to do so as fast as they can, with many deadlines arriving later this year.
Now, you’ll be forgiven for worrying that everyone has lost their damn minds.
Given its life-and-death priorities, why is the Department of Defense putting a half-billion (and counting) into collecting toxic wastewater and old heaps of junk?
And this next part is the most astounding...
These efforts (light bulbs and all) are also considered by America’s top generals to be our best counter-attack to China’s recent war theatrics.
Yes, this is all for real.
And America’s future security depends on the outcome.
Here’s why: China has cut off America’s supply of rare earths, and establishing a supply chain that’s safe from China’s 90% monopoly has been a national priority for more than a decade now.
- The recent escalation of a trade war has pushed these efforts into overdrive — and money is changing hands fast.
- The water runoff in West Virginia is full of rare earths leached by the acid in the old mine.
- The spent light bulbs in Nebraska contain high amounts of rare earths once they’re crushed and refined using an advanced new chemical process.
And the old electronics in the swamps of Louisiana are chock full of rare earth magnets that are ready to be harvested in a next-generation recycling program.
But I’ve saved the best for last.
Our own co-founder and editor Nick Hodge has been following these developments since 2010, which marks one of the most significant showdowns over rare earths with China that the world has seen yet.
And he’s sitting on the top two stocks that are recipients of the next round of DoD funding.
With millions of fresh dollars ready to deploy, this is a resource play that’s been decades in the making.
The Department of Defense wants positive news to report back up the chain — and they want to demonstrate to China that we can source rare earths without them.
Nick has also included an All-American mine with new sources of rare earths that are right here in the USA and ready to begin production.
We’re weeks away from the rare earths breakthrough that’ll put America’s defense back to focusing on the jets, night vision, and submarines (all of which rely on rare earths) that make our military powerful.
This is the resource story you’ve been waiting for.
Make it your own,
John Carl
Editor, Daily Profit Cycle