(a) Requirement for initiatives
In order to support and enable the development of domestic critical mineral supply chains to meet defense industrial base requirements, the Secretary of Defense shall use existing authorities, including authorities under title III of the Defense Production Act of 1950 ( 50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq. ) and under section 4817 of title 10, United States Code, to ensure that the workforce development initiatives of the Department of Defense for the defense industrial base include workforce development initiatives to support the mining industry.
(b) Initiatives that may be included
The initiatives required by subsection (a) may include—
contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions with accredited mining schools for the purpose of recruiting and educating the next generation of mining engineers, faculty, and other qualified professionals;
scholarship, stipend, or tuition assistance programs designed to reduce financial barriers to entry into fields related to critical minerals;
workforce development pathways, such as cooperative education, apprenticeships, internships, and work-based learning opportunities, in fields related to critical minerals;
industry-driven senior design projects, applied research opportunities, faculty development, and other experiential learning activities directly related to production and processing of critical minerals; and
activities to recruit, train, qualify, and place individuals into the mining profession or occupations supporting the supply chains for critical minerals.
(c) Priority
In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall prioritize initiatives that—
align with current and projected defense industrial base requirements for critical minerals; and
demonstrate the ability to expand workforce training, credentialing, and placement into the mining profession or occupations supporting the supply chains for critical minerals.
(d) Coordination
The Secretary shall ensure that activities carried out under this section are coordinated with other workforce development initiatives of the Department of Defense for the defense industrial base and with institutions and entities participating in such initiatives.
(e) Recommendations to enhance implementation
(1) Assessment
Not later than September 1, 2027, the Secretary shall complete an assessment of the feasibility and advisability of requiring, as a condition of award, that the prime awardee of a covered project award actively participate in one or more workforce development initiatives to support the mining industry, including the feasibility and advisability of requiring that the prime awardee—
establish and maintain a partnership with an accredited mining school as described in subsection (b)(1);
establish and maintain one or more workforce development pathways as described in subsection (b)(3) that are aligned with the workforce needs of the project and are for United States veterans and members of the Armed Forces who are transitioning to civilian life; and
implement any other workforce development initiative identified by the Secretary for inclusion in the assessment.
(2) Report
Not later than March 1, 2028, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the assessment, including the results of the assessment and any recommendations the Secretary may have to expand domestic mining, processing, refining, recycling, or related production capacity for critical minerals.
(f) Annual report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter through 2030, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing—
the activities carried out under this section;
the number of participants supported through workforce development initiatives described in this section and the workforce placement outcomes for those participants; and
any recommendations the Secretary may have to improve the development of mining schools to meet the future workforce needs.
(g) Definitions
In this section:
The term covered project award means an award for a project to expand domestic mining, processing, refining, recycling, or related production capacity for critical minerals made by the Department of Defense under title III of the Defense Production Act of 1950 ( 50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq. ) or under section 4817 of title 10, United States Code.
The term mining industry means the mining industry of the United States, consisting of the search for, and extraction, beneficiation, refining, smelting, processing, reprocessing, and recycling of, naturally occurring metal and nonmetal minerals from the earth.
The term mining profession means the body of jobs directly relevant to—
the exploration, planning, execution, and remediation of metal and nonmetal mining sites; and
the extraction, including the separation, refining, alloying, smelting, concentration, processing, beneficiation, reprocessing, and recycling, of mineral ores.
The term mining school means—
a mining, metallurgical, geological, or mineral engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology that is located at an institution of higher education, including a Tribal College or University; or
a geology or engineering program or department that is located at a 4-year public institution of higher education located in a State the gross domestic product of which in 2024 was not less than $2,000,000,000 in the combined categories of Mining (except oil and gas) and Support activities for mining , according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The term Tribal College or University has the meaning given the term in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1059c(b) ).