U.S. Department of War

08/07/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/08/2026 18:08

President Trump's Department of War Announces Over $80M Investment in Mining Schools at Historic Roundtable With Mining Executives

President Donald Trump's Department of War announced today over $80 million in investments in multiple schools of mines and metallurgy, including the Colorado School of Mines, the South Dakota School of Mines, and Johns Hopkins University. Since taking office, President Trump has taken unprecedented action to restore America's military and national security, securing reliable supplies of critical materials and supply chains.

The intended investments will be used to build technology innovation hubs, form project-focused partnerships between students and defense industry, develop new processes and prototypes, and certify hundreds of new students with advanced degrees in mining, geology, and metallurgy.

These resources are provided through the Department of War's Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, which provides key capabilities to advance a strong, resilient, responsive, and healthy national industrial base that can respond at-will to national security requirements.

Training the Next Generation of Geologists, Metallurgists, and Mining Engineers

  • $32.7 million (proposed) to the Colorado School of Mines for a Critical Minerals Innovation & Commercialization Hub to enable pilot-scale tech development, materials qualification, and workforce-industry integration.
  • $25 million (proposed) to the South Dakota School of Mines for Critical Minerals Merit Scholars Consortium establishing four integrated workforce development programs across three leading mineral-STEM institutions (South Dakota School of Mines, University of Kentucky, and Missouri S&T University).
  • $23.6 million (proposed) to Johns Hopkins University founding a multi-material recycling innovation hub connecting an emerging technology developer (AGILEWorks) for scrap sourcing, process innovation, testing, qualification, and integration into existing defense platforms

President Trump and the Department of War are committed to solidify America's role as a global leader in critical minerals production and processing.

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