The US government wants companies to volunteer for defense production, with new rules

The Department of Energy is creating rules for companies to voluntarily help with national defense production. This means the government can ask companies to make things like critical minerals or energy infrastructure without forcing them.

The US government can use the Defense Production Act to force companies to make things for national security. But that is a big step. This new rule creates a way for companies to volunteer instead. It gives the government a softer option to get critical supplies made, especially for things like energy and rare earth minerals.