Companies Push U.S. to Secure Critical Graphite and Graphene Supply

Following a July 20, 2026, White House Executive Order mandating that military equipment and critical materials be sourced domestically or from allied nations, North American firms are proposing strategies to decouple the U.S. defense industrial base from Chinese supply chains. China currently controls over 90% of global refined graphite production, creating a vulnerability that Focus Graphite Inc. aims to address through its Lac Knife and Lac Tetepisca projects. The Canadian company has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of War's Defense Industrial Base Consortium to provide ultra-high-purity graphite for nuclear, energy, and defense applications, supported by C$15.4 million in funding from the Government of Canada.

Simultaneously, HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. is advocating for the U.S. to designate graphene as a critical material under the Defense Production Act. The company warns that Chinese export licensing restrictions are scheduled to resume in November 2026, threatening the stability of the graphite supply. HydroGraph proposes establishing a national graphene innovation and research institute and funding qualification pilot programs. Unlike traditional mining, HydroGraph's process uses U.S.-sourced hydrocarbon gases to create graphene, which the company claims removes upstream exposure to Chinese graphite exports.