When people think about military strength, they tend to focus on the obvious: advanced weapons, cutting-edge technology, and battlefield dominance at the outset of a conflict.

But in the latest segment of Breaking Battlegrounds, that assumption gets dismantled.

As hosts Sam Stone and Chuck Warren continue their conversation with Dr. Meg Reiss, founder and CEO of Solid Intel, the focus shifts from what America builds to something far more decisive: whether the U.S. can keep building, replacing, and resupplying once a war begins.

Because in modern conflict, victory isn’t determined on the first day — it’s determined weeks later.

Critical Minerals Power Everything

Dr. Reiss makes the stakes clear: critical minerals are the foundation of nearly every key technology the U.S. relies on.

From artificial intelligence systems to defense platforms, communications, motors, electronics, and energy infrastructure — these materials sit at the base of the entire technological stack.

Through her work at Solid Intel, Dr. Reiss tracks adversarial interference across global supply chains. And time and again, one country appears at the center of the problem.

China.

In roughly 90% of cases, supply-chain pressure, manipulation, or vulnerability traces back to Chinese control or influence.

How China Built Dependency — On Purpose

What makes this strategy so dangerous is its precision.

Rather than controlling only raw materials, China has deliberately embedded itself at multiple nodes throughout supply chains. Sometimes that means critical minerals. Other times it’s components that seem insignificant on their own — motors, sub-assemblies, even basic fasteners.

Each dependency is intentional.

The goal is simple: ensure that when the U.S. needs to surge production — especially in a conflict scenario — there are no viable alternatives outside Chinese supply.

It’s not accidental.
And it’s not temporary.

As Dr. Reiss describes it, the strategy is brilliant — and terrifying.

The Moment That Matters Most

In a crisis, the most dangerous moment isn’t the opening salvo.

It’s the point when equipment breaks, inventory runs low, and production must accelerate.

That’s where dependency becomes vulnerability.

If the U.S. cannot access the materials needed to replace parts, rebuild systems, or resupply the warfighter, technological superiority on day one becomes irrelevant by day ten — or day thirty.

Sustainment Wins Wars

Chuck Warren underscores one of the most overlooked truths in modern defense planning: wars are not won by who starts strongest, but by who can endure.

The ability to sustain production, replenish losses, and adapt under pressure determines outcomes. And that ability depends entirely on supply chains.

If those supply chains run through an adversary, leverage shifts instantly — without a single shot being fired.

The Strategic Blind Spot

This part of the conversation exposes a critical blind spot in U.S. strategy.

America has invested heavily in innovation, research, and advanced capabilities — but far less in ensuring the materials behind those capabilities remain accessible under stress.

Supply chains were optimized for efficiency.
China optimized them for control.

The result is a system that works well in peacetime — and fails dangerously under pressure.

What This Means Going Forward

Dr. Reiss’s warning is clear: addressing mineral dependency isn’t just about mining or processing.

It’s about:

  • Identifying hidden choke points

  • Diversifying sourcing across every layer

  • Building redundancy into sustainment

  • Treating supply chains as part of national defense

Until that happens, America’s technological edge rests on a fragile foundation.

Listen to the Full Episode

This segment reveals how supply chains — not just weapons — shape modern warfare.

Transcript

**Sam Stone: **Welcome back to Breaking Battlegrounds. We’re continuing on now with Dr. Meg Reiss , founder and CEO of Solid Intel. Follow her on X at Meg Reiss . That’s R-E-I-S-S. When we were going into the break just now, Chuck, we were talking about all of the supply chains for these critical minerals. But let’s talk maybe a little bit about the other end and how these are being used.

Exactly. How are they being used?

Dr. Meg Reiss: Oh my goodness. So critical minerals form the basis of our key technologies. So I have I have an AI company that looks at adversarial incursions into supply chains and 90 % of the time it ends up being China. And it’s essentially China is trying to figure out different ways to be able to keep the US from having access to its key technology in the case of a conflict scenario.

And so what you’re seeing is you’re seeing from critical minerals all the way through the supply chain, different efforts by the Chinese government to create nodes within those supply chains where we have dependencies on them. And it’s either physical goods, like again, critical minerals or a motor, or even just like bolts to make sure that we don’t have other options.

And then we have to source from them. So in a complex scenario, when we’re at the point where we’re wanting to surge capabilities to the war fighter, we may not have access to those materials anymore. So we wouldn’t be able to resupply them. It is brilliant, but it is terrifying.

Chuck Warren: Well, I think you made the point in your piece in the Washington Post that when a war breaks out, it’s not who has the technology and the armaments the first day. It’s what do you have the ability for the tenth day, the twentieth day or the month after, and that’s a real problem.

Listen to the full episode of Breaking Battlegrounds anywhere you stream your podcasts!