Ucore CEO Pat Ryan Warns of Geopolitical Risks and Urges North American Collaboration on Critical Rare Earth Supply Chains in Interview with Jack Lifton

In a candid interview with InvestorNews.com host Jack Lifton, a world-renowned critical minerals expert, Pat Ryan, CEO and Chairman of Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU | OTCQX: UURAF), delivered a powerful wake-up call regarding North America’s critical vulnerabilities in rare earth supply chains, especially in light of escalating geopolitical tensions. Ryan revealed Ucore’s readiness to scale its Kingston, Ontario, facility from processing “tens of tons” to “hundreds of tons” of critical heavy rare earth elements, such as dysprosium and terbium, essential for defense and advanced technology sectors. He emphasized that with strategic upgrades, notably the addition of another RapidSX™ machine, the facility could quickly increase capacity to support urgent U.S. Department of Defense needs, stating, “the difficult job of getting to the terbium and dysprosium—that’s where the margin is, and that’s where the opportunity is.”

Responding directly to Jack Lifton’s inquiries about recent Chinese restrictions on strategic minerals, Ryan underscored the significance of samarium cobalt magnets, noting their critical use in defense systems due to their resistance to electromagnetic pulses from nuclear detonations. Despite samarium historically trading as low as “$3 or $4 a kilogram,” he clarified its profound strategic importance, stating unequivocally, “when it becomes a matter of national defense… we’ll get you what you need.” Ryan further explained that Ucore’s proprietary RapidSX™ technology positions the company uniquely to rapidly meet this strategic need, pointing out that although the requested turnaround by U.S. officials is ambitious, Ucore is capable of swiftly producing separated samarium if provided with the necessary feedstock.

Highlighting broader geopolitical implications in the interview, Ryan argued passionately against the shortsightedness of isolationist tariff policies, calling instead for a cohesive North American strategic partnership between Canada and the United States. He made a compelling case for prioritizing refining and processing capabilities over mere resource ownership, emphasizing, “you don’t have to control the actual mineral resource… you’ve got to control the refining and processing.” Ryan cautioned policymakers against antagonizing international sources of critical minerals, stressing the need for cooperative strategies rather than confrontational economic measures to secure a resilient and sustainable critical minerals ecosystem.