Hello John and Doves,
This is very interesting
in light of the coming war with Iran.
Elemental phosphate has
been declared a critical mineral. It is a "scarce
material this is critical to national defense and
security." The US imports over 6,000,000 kilograms of
this annually so the domestic production needs to be
protected.
The Defense Production
Act allows the government to repurpose vehicle manufacturing
plants for tanks/ammunition/etc. The US has one plant
that manufacturers glyphosate.
"Elemental phosphorus is
pervasive in defense supply chains and is therefore crucial
to military readiness and national defense. It is a
key input in smoke, illumination, and incendiary devices and
is a critical component for manufacturing the semiconductors
that are central to numerous defense technologies, such as
radar, solar cells, sensors and optoelectronics. It is
also increasingly important in modern lithium-ion battery
chemistries used in a multitude of weapon-system supply
chains."
Elemental phosphate also
is critically important to agricultural productivity.
"Ensuring an adequate supply of elemental phosphate and
glyphosate-based herbicides is thus crucial to the national
security and defense, including food-supply security, which
is essential to protecting the health and safety of
Americans."