The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - August 30, 2024
In addition to the geological, engineering, and other skills typically attributed to mining, Montana Tech offers programs for drone operation and other expertise needed in modern mines.
The U.S. Department of Defense has invested more than $870 million of DPA Title III funding to support domestic critical mineral supply chains.
Montana Tech has over a century of experience in mine workforce development.
Tackling one of the major roadblocks on the path to establishing secure and reliable domestic supplies of the minerals and metals critical to America's economy and security, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Montana Technological University (Montana Tech) $6.56 million to develop and deliver mining workforce training programs.
"The dearth of individuals with the requisite skills in mining and metallurgy is one of the largest bottlenecks for our nation's ability to increase its critical mineral production capacity," said Mr. Anthony Di Stasio, director of the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience. "With this award, Montana Tech will be able to expand its reach to help train the next generation of the critical minerals workforce."
The grant, which is being awarded via DOD's Defense Production Act Investment office, will be allocated to developing and delivering workforce development programs in four major skill areas – geology, metallurgy, mining, and environmental engineering – that encompass all stages of the mining cycle, from deposit discovery to mine reclamation.
DOD's backing of mining workforce development follows the inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy, a Pentagon report published in January that found the U.S. has fallen far behind China when it comes to producing the minerals and metals critical to technological devices, military hardware, clean energy, and everyday living.
The U.S. Department of Defense has invested more than $870 million of DPA Title III funding to support domestic critical mineral supply chains.
"Over three decades the People's Republic of China became the global industrial powerhouse in many key areas – from shipbuilding to critical minerals to microelectronics – that vastly exceeds the capacity of not just the United States, but the combined output of our key European and Asian allies as well," DOD penned in the report.
The 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy also found that the U.S. has a woefully inadequate workforce when it comes to the skills needed for mining and other industrial sectors.
"The labor market lacks the required number of skilled workers to meet defense production demand while driving innovation at all levels. This shortfall is becoming exacerbated as baby boomers retire, and younger generations show less interest in manufacturing and engineering careers," according to the report.
The interrelated goals of supporting resilient supply chains and bolstering America's workforce are two parts of the Pentagon's overarching mission "to make the industrial ecosystem dynamic, responsive, state-of-the-art, resilient, and a deterrent to our adversaries."
To accomplish this mission, DOD has been leveraging a Cold War-era tool known as the Defense Production Act (DPA) to combat America's near wholesale dependency on critical mineral imports.
Over the past four years, DOD has invested more than $870 million in DPA Title III funding to bolster North American supply of the minerals and metals critical to America's economy, defense, and energy transition.
The investment in Montana Tech, however, is a first-of-its-kind program funded by DPA to help ensure the U.S. has a workforce in place that provides the human capital needed to fill the jobs created by direct investments in expanded domestic supply chains.
Montana Tech has over a century of experience in mine workforce development.
Originally chartered as The Montana State School of Mines, Montana Tech is well-suited for supporting domestic critical mineral supply chains and delivering the mine training being sought by the Pentagon.
Considered Montana's premier STEM university, Montana Tech already has three research centers that deliver technological services to the mining sector and the training that DOD hopes to foster:
• Advanced Materials – Established in 1989, the Center for Advanced Materials Processing provides cutting-edge research and effective research management in materials science and engineering, expanding both basic and applied knowledge in these fields.
• Environmental Remediation – The Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment oversees environmental solutions that aid in responsible natural resource use, development, closure and reuse.
• Mining and Geology – Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology geoscientists collect, interpret, and distribute geologic data used to manage Montana's water, land, mineral, and energy resources and to assess geologic hazards.
The university also offers undergraduate majors in geological engineering, metallurgical and materials engineering, and mining engineering; as well as roughly 20 master's and doctorate programs in geoscience, materials science, geological, metallurgical, mining, and other engineering disciplines related to mining.
Montana Tech will use the Defense Production Act Title III funding to create a curriculum with both online and hands-on components in multiple mining disciplines – skills currently in danger of being lost in the U.S.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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