Kevin Rudd on how Australia can deliver Donald Trump’s national security mandate

Kevin Rudd reveals Australia’s crucial role in Donald Trump’s ambition to break China’s grip on critical minerals and secure independent American supply chains.

Donald Trump’s ambition to break China’s grip on critical minerals and secure independent American supply chains cannot be achieved without Australia, according to a US expert.

In conversation with Ambassador Kevin Rudd, Centre for Strategic and International Studies Critical Minerals Security Program director Gracelin Baskaran described Australia as “Washington’s most vital partner” in realising mineral security and securing manufacturing and defence supply chains.

As Australia faces increase pressure to boost defence spending, Dr Rudd said critical minerals should now be viewed through the same lens as defence goods like munitions and weapons systems, noting Virginia class submarines like those promised under the AUKUS pact needed 4.5 tonnes of critical minerals to build.

“So whether we like it or not the reality is the sharpest edges of what we do in the military hang off the availability of critical minerals and rare earths supply, as well as processed critical minerals and rare earths as well as critical derivatives such as magnets,” he said.

“And as a US ally, we are ready and able to help and we have the capacity to do so.”

Kevin Rudd speaks with Critical Minerals Security Program director Gracelin Baskaran at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Picture: Supplied

Australia has 43 of the 55 minerals identified as critical by the Trump administration and is home to the biggest mining companies in the world along with some of the brightest minds in the industry.

Speaking at the event in Washington DC, Australia’s Ambassador to the US Dr Rudd said the visit by some of Australia’s biggest mining executives to the White House a day earlier was evidence the President understood the potential and importance of our contribution.

He described China’s rare earth bans on Japan as early as 2010 and more recently on the United States as sending up “enormous flairs” that prompted a global push to break Beijing’s stronghold on the supply and processing chains.

“The fact that we have governments now in Washington and in Canberra determined to turn the corner on this, I think we are able to achieve a high level of critical minerals resilience and national self-reliance for these two very close allies, Australia (and the) United States,” Dr Rudd said.

Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum meet with Australian mining executives including Jakob Stausholm, Simon Trott and Mike Henry.

He said Australia was investing heavily in critical minerals extraction and processing that would put the country in a position to become a “great power, if not a superpower” in that domain.

“ … Australia, more or less equals the periodic table. Geology has been kind to us,” he said.

“Put together our processing capacity and what we are now unfolding on the processing side, and put together the depth and breadth of our mining expertise, I think we’re well placed to assist in diversifying the supply chains, creating resilient supply chains and helping the United States, under President Trump’s leadership, meet his requirements for a resilient America when it comes to critical minerals and rare earths.”

Since his return to office, President Trump has warned America’s reliance on hostile foreign powers for the supply and processing of critical minerals poses a national and economic security threat.

He has ordered urgent efforts to fast track securing supply chains.

Kevin Rudd speaks at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Picture: Supplied

Dr Rudd said he believed achieving that goal required a group effort from allies.

“Because of the way geology falls it is very difficult for any one country to do it alone, so it really requires a coalition of allies,” he said.

Dr Rudd described critical minerals as the flip side to the development of data centres, chips and artificial intelligence all necessary in securing future economic competitiveness, noting without mining: “kiss goodbye to your long term ability to produce chips, to produce data centres and to win the AI race across the world”.

“I am firmly of the view that we can make real, measurable, tangible progress in the most sensitive critical minerals in rare earths, which are essential to the United States future national security and that of its allies and we in Australia stand ready to help.”

Originally published as Kevin Rudd on how Australia can deliver Donald Trump’s national security mandate