Pentagon Losing Control of Bombs to China's Monopoly

Chen Kerong, director of production at Neo Material Technologies Inc.'s Magnequench Tianjin Co. factory, opens a barrel of annealed neodymium iron boron magnets prior to being crushed into powder in Tianjin, China, on Friday, June 11, 2010. A generation after Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping made mastering neodymium and 16 other elements known as rare-earths a priority, China has cornered the market, with far-reaching effects ranging from job losses and global trade to U.S. national security. Photographer: Doug Kanter/Bloomberg via Getty Images