A gold mine in Stibnite, Idaho, that once churned out critical minerals for the U.S. “Arsenal of Democracy” during World War II was resurrected last month by the U.S. Army and Perpetua Resources Inc.
The launch of the Stibnite Gold Project will see the private company partner with the U.S. Army’s Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition, or JPEO A&A, to harvest not only gold but antimony sulfide from the mine, while working to rehabilitate the local environment.
“The Stibnite project currently holds the largest identified reserve of antimony in the U.S.,” Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, commanding officer of JPEO A&A and Picatinny Arsenal, said in a service release. “At an estimated 148 million lbs., it is one of the largest antimony reserves outside of foreign control.”
An Abandoned Arsenal
A key component of defense manufacturing, antimony is critical for the production of munitions of all types and is also used for fire protection and strengthening metal. Additionally, it can be used to create defense optics, night vision goggles, batteries and cables.
In the 1940s, the U.S. produced 90% of its own antimony supply — predominantly harvested from the mine in Stibnite, which held the largest source of antimony in the nation.
While Stibnite is historically known for its primary antimony ore, it is also a source of gold and tungsten. The area first came to the attention of gold prospectors in the 1800s, but the mine’s “golden age” came during World War II.
Fueled by antimony and tungsten from Stibnite, the U.S. wielded its manufacturing power as its own formidable weapon, unleashing masses of weapons systems and supplies for American troops and international allies.
Powered by the mine at Stibnite, the U.S. became the “Arsenal of Democracy,” and helped to turn the tide of the war.
The postwar era saw many mines shuttered, however, including at Stibnite, where facilities were dismantled in 1958. Following a brief attempt to revive mining in the area, the site became inactive as of 1997.
A Defense Crisis
The U.S. has relied exclusively on foreign suppliers for its antimony supply, creating a critical vulnerability in the national defense industry as China has developed a monopoly on the mineral. Other leading global suppliers of antimony include Russia and Tajikistan.
Estimated last year to possess at least 32% of world’s antimony supply, China dominates the global antimony market, not only as a source but as an importer and refiner of antimony from other nations — including from its Indo-Pacific rival Australia. China currently mines over 60% of the world’s rare minerals and processes over 80%, while U.S. mining resources have remained untapped and dormant.
The end result has been a chokehold on the U.S. military, with China using its monopoly to its advantage. Last August, China effectively squeezed U.S. defense manufacturers by imposing export restrictions on antimony.
By contrast, European Union nations, none of which mine antimony, were largely unaffected by China’s antimony restrictions as China is not their primary supplier — Turkey and Tajikistan are.
Over-reliance on Chinese imports of antimony prompted the Pentagon to announce a $43.4 million Defense Production Act award to Alaska Range Resources to harvest stibnite and refine it into antimony for military use.
“China and Russia control the market for antimony and all its derivatives, putting the United States at risk of interruptions that could jeopardize national security,” Jeffrey Frankston, acting deputy assistant secretary of war for Industrial Base Resilience, said in a Pentagon release.
“Establishing domestic sources for critical metals and minerals like antimony and its compounds enhances the long-term resilience of our supply chains,” he added.
On Oct. 20, President Donald Trump and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion agreement to cooperate on processing rare earths and critical minerals — ostensibly aimed at alleviating both countries’ national security risks that have arisen due to China’s monopoly on critical mineral access.
Restoring Stibnite
Over the first six years of operations, the Stibnite Gold Project is expected to supply up to 35% of U.S. antimony demand, according to a Perpetua Resources release, which noted that it will, at the same time, contribute to environmental restoration.
Miners in the 19th and 20th centuries left tailings — the waste by-product of mining — that have since clogged the Salmon River, an obstruction visible in photography from 1964.
A particularly critical blockage has occurred in the eastern branch of the river’s South Fork, which has prevented native salmon from traveling upstream during reproduction migrations.
Perpetua Resources says it is committed to restoring the river to benefit the salmon population and aims to clean up environmental damage left by previous generations of miners, who were lacking advantages of modern mining technology.
As the mine’s operation gets underway, Stibnite — now the only domestic source of antimony in the U.S. — is expected to once again become a vital backbone for U.S. defense manufacturing.
“This mine represents the nearest-term solution for a secure, reliable, domestic resource for military grade antimony sulfide,” Reim said. “And it is in keeping with the Army’s ongoing ‘Ground-to-Round’ assured munitions strategy to locate and engage with domestic sources for critical materials as we modernize and fortify the Arsenal of Democracy.”
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
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