Our nation has been blessed with abundant natural resources. Some are more important than others.Critical minerals are among the most vital. These are essential raw materials needed to make semiconductors, electronics parts, and critical defense systems. Without them a nation stops.As automation and new technologies advance, their criticality to our supply chains continues to grow. And like most things these days, international politics is at the center of critical mineral discussions.That’s because China controls most of the market for critical minerals, and the Chinese are using that status to manipulate the supply and determine who gets access to these essential minerals. For that reason, the U.S. government has been focusing on finding alternative supplies, both domestically and in other friendly nations. It has been a key part of the exchange for providing war matériel with Ukraine. Obtaining these hidden resources has also been tied to the U.S. actions in Venezuela and its overtures in Greenland.As a professional geologist, Brodie Sutherland is always on the hunt for what is hidden in the earth. He has over a decade of experience leading mineral exploration across more than 20 countries, where he has leveraged his expertise in geological mapping, sampling, and drilling to unlock critical mineral resources.Sutherland is the CEO of Patriot Critical Minerals Corp., a company that is working to find and develop critical minerals, including in the nation’s largest tungsten deposit, located in Elko County, Nevada. Tungsten is one of the critical minerals needed for domestic manufacturing and defense systems.Sutherland was…
