The US Department of Defense (DoD) has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement worth $70.7 million with IperionX, a critical materials company. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) will contribute up to $47.1 million at most. The cooperation will be implemented in two phases, aiming to establish a full "mine-to-metal" supply chain for titanium in the US within two years. In the first phase, the DoD will invest $5 million, while IperionX will provide a matching $1 million for an industrial base analysis initiative. This cooperation will significantly enhance the self-sufficiency and controllability of the US defense industrial base in the field of strategic materials.