EPISODE · Jan 5, 2026 · 14 MIN
Choke Points: Critical Minerals and Irregular Warfare in the Gray Zone
from Insider: Short of War · host Irregular Warfare Initiative
In this episode, Dino Garner explores how critical minerals and irregular warfare intersect in the gray zone. Moving beyond mining myths, the discussion reveals how China’s dominance of mineral processing and refining has become a strategic weapon—one that threatens Western defense supply chains, deterrence, and sovereignty. From rare earths to magnesium, this audio version walks through the industrial vulnerabilities shaping modern economic and irregular warfare, and the policy responses now emerging to confront them.
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What this episode covers
This podcast examines how critical mineral processing—not mining—has become a decisive battleground in irregular warfare. Drawing on defense, trade, and industrial policy, the episode explains how China engineered global dependency through midstream control, how export licensing functions as lawfare, and why Western defense readiness now hinges on refinery capacity. The episode concludes with a framework for “industrial deterrence” aimed at restoring sovereignty over the chemistry that underpins modern military power.
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Choke Points: Critical Minerals and Irregular Warfare in the Gray Zone
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