The global economy is simultaneously undergoing two major transformations: the energy transition and the deepening of digitalization. For this reason, a new geopolitical competition has emerged around rare metals, on which both processes critically depend. This transformation has moved beyond being a conventional issue of energy policy or mining strategy; it has become a comprehensive domain directly linked to technology, industry, defense, and international power balances. Rare metals are no longer merely underground resources but have become the key instruments for controlling global value chains.
In this context, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources’ Türkiye Critical and Strategic Minerals Report is a highly significant and pivotal document, as it situates this global landscape within a quantitative and institutional framework at the scale of Türkiye. The detailed criticality analyses conducted for 37 out of 63 candidate minerals demonstrate that Türkiye is directly affected across a broad spectrum, ranging from lithium and rare earth elements to gallium and germanium. In particular, the classification of minerals such as lithium, titanium, copper, aluminum, manganese and iron within the category of high-priority critical minerals is noteworthy in terms of the energy transition and the defense industry. In addition, the inclusion of rare earth elements in the category of highly critical minerals underscores the supply risks that Türkiye is likely to face in the coming period.
At this very juncture, the truly critical question is this: Will Türkiye manage this process merely as a country that possesses critical minerals, or will it transform into a strategic actor that integrates these resources with industry, technology and foreign policy? The Chinese case is instructive in this respect. China has not confined itself to being a producer of rare metals; it has simultaneously developed capabilities in refining, processing, high-technology manufacturing, patents and R&D. It has attracted production facilities to its territory, institutionalized technology transfer through joint ventures, and established a structure that exercises control over the entire supply chain. From Türkiye’s perspective, the picture presented by the report offers a strong starting point. Holding a decisive position in the global market for certain minerals such as boron, placing many strategic minerals used in the defense industry firmly on the national agenda, and announcing that a Critical Minerals Strategy Document will be prepared in 2025 all represent important milestones. Accordingly, the core issue is not merely extracting minerals from beneath the ground, but rather determining what kind of value regime is to be constructed above ground.
For this reason, Türkiye’s rare metals projection should be shaped around three fundamental turning points. First, mining policy must move beyond being the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and be embedded within a coordinated framework aligned with industrial, university, defense and technology policies. Second, instead of a model based on exporting rare metals merely as raw materials, an industrial architecture should be established that targets refining, intermediate products and high-value-added final goods. Third is the issue of environmental costs. Unless a new production paradigm is developed – one that actively manages water use, waste, and environmental impact rather than rendering these costs invisible as many Western countries have done – this field will not be sustainable in the long run.
In this context, over the past two decades, Türkiye has crossed a significant threshold in the defense industry, increasing its domestic production capacity to over 80% and transforming from a country that merely meets its own needs into an actor capable of competing in international markets, developing products and exporting them. The momentum achieved across a wide range – from unmanned aerial vehicles to armored platforms, from precision munitions to radar and electronic warfare systems – has largely been made possible by the expansion of domestic manufacturing capacity and the strengthening of system integration capabilities. However, at this stage, the sustainability of this success is directly linked not only to competence in platform and software development, but also to the secure and continuous supply of the critical inputs on which these systems depend, particularly rare metals and rare earth elements.
For the defense industry, superalloys, metals resistant to high temperatures and pressures, elements with strong magnetic and optical properties, and rare earth elements used in laser and sensor technologies constitute indispensable inputs. For this reason, global competition in the defense sector is increasingly shaped by the security of supply of rare metals. The production of many critical systems depends on these metals, which are required in small quantities but possess exceptionally high strategic value. In this sense, rare metals form the invisible infrastructure of the defense industry. Elements such as neodymium, yttrium, terbium, gallium, germanium, niobium, and cobalt play critical roles across a wide range of applications, from missile systems and radar components to jet engines and electronic warfare equipment. At the global level, the concentration of production and refining of these metals in a limited number of countries generates a serious strategic vulnerability for the defense industry. Recent supply restrictions, export controls, and geopolitical tensions have made this vulnerability increasingly visible.
The momentum Türkiye has achieved in the defense industry is now entering a new phase. The issue is no longer limited to developing systems, but rather to establishing a supply and production architecture that can secure the critical inputs of these systems over the long term. At the core of this architecture, two areas stand out: boron and rare metals. Boron is one of the strategic minerals in which Türkiye holds a position of exceptional global strength. Possessing a significant share of the world’s boron reserves provides Türkiye with not only an economic advantage, but also a technological and strategic one. Boron and its derivatives are used across many domains of the defense industry, ranging from armor systems and rocket propellants to nuclear technologies and composite materials. Properties such as high strength, light weight, and resistance to heat make boron indispensable for defense technologies. However, the strategic value of boron lies not merely in its extraction as a raw material, but in its integration into advanced materials technologies.
With regard to rare metals, however, the picture is more complex. While Türkiye has potential in certain rare metal groups, the truly critical issue lies in the refining of these metals, their conversion into alloys, and their production in the specific forms required by the defense industry. The production of many metals included in the strategic minerals lists of the Presidency of Defense Industries often occurs as by-products of other mining activities. This reality transforms rare metal production into a field that requires not only mining but also advanced technology and sophisticated process expertise. Therefore, making Türkiye’s gains in the defense industry permanent necessitates a holistic approach in the fields of boron and rare metals. This approach must encompass a value chain that begins with mineral extraction and extends to the final components integrated into defense systems. Without strong coordination among universities, research centers, defense industry companies and public institutions, it is not possible to establish such a chain. Otherwise, even if Türkiye remains strong in platform development, it will continue to be dependent on external sources for critical inputs.
Yet it is precisely at this point that universities must assume responsibility. Fields such as rare metals and defense industry supply chains are not merely engineering problems; they are complex issues that simultaneously encompass economic, environmental, foreign policy and security dimensions. The only institutions capable of managing this complexity are universities that can think interdisciplinarily, establish long-term research programs and link knowledge production to policy processes. Accordingly, the sustainability of the transformation Türkiye has achieved in recent years depends on how universities are integrated into this process.
In conclusion, the global competition surrounding rare metals presents Türkiye with both serious risks and historic opportunities. This field is not merely a matter of mining; it points to a strategic threshold directly linked to Türkiye’s industrialization model, technological sovereignty, and international positioning. Possessing the resource is no longer sufficient. At this stage, boron and rare metals must be placed at the very center not only of mining policies, but also of defense and technology policies. In an environment where global competition is becoming increasingly intense, the permanence of strength in the defense industry depends on managing these critical inputs in a secure, integrated, and high-value-added manner. What ultimately matters is the institutional capacity, technological depth, and long-term vision with which these resources are governed. Türkiye’s rare metals projection will be shaped precisely by the answer given to this question.
