The Department of War has awarded $43.4 million under the Defense Production Act Title III to Alaska Range Resources, LLC to extract, concentrate, and refine stibnite for military-grade antimony trisulfide. The investment draws on funds from the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 and aligns with Executive Order 14241, issued March 20, 2025, to expand domestic processing of critical minerals and derivative products.
“Antimony metal and antimony trisulfide have critical applications in munitions, especially low and medium caliber, where it is used in primer production and case hardening,” said Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Mike Cadenazzi. “The award to ARR advances North American sourcing of this critical mineral for the defense industrial base.”
The funding will support ARR’s completion of environmental studies and permitting, geological surveys and drilling optimization, initiation of stibnite extraction, completion of a metallurgical study, and construction and commissioning of both a concentration plant and a refinery. Stibnite, the primary naturally occurring ore of antimony, is found in significant deposits at Stibium, Alaska, with additional prospects across the Estelle Project, where the company is already operating.
“China and Russia control the market for antimony and all its derivatives, putting the United States at risk of interruptions that could jeopardize national security,” added Mr. Jeffrey Frankston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Resilience. “Establishing domestic sources for critical metals and minerals like antimony and its compounds enhances the long-term resilience of our supply chains.”
Officials said the award builds on earlier DPA investments that have accelerated domestic antimony production and is intended to reduce risk to the U.S. supply by increasing mine output to meet a larger share of defense needs.
This is one of 17 DPA Purchases Office awards made since the start of fiscal year 2025, totaling $856.2 million, with recipient cost shares reaching $88.0 million. The Purchases Office operates under the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization directorate.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy works with domestic and international partners to sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base in support of the war fighter. The office also uses a Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement to solicit research and prototype proposals aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience, emphasizing efforts to protect supply chain integrity and rapidly equip war fighters with needed materials and technologies.
