The Department of Commerce has started to investigate the potential effects of imports of Neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets on U.S. national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
Fighter aircraft, missile guidance systems and other national security platforms use NdFeB permanent magnets, which are also being used in wind turbines, electric vehicles, computer hard drives, MRI devices and audio equipment.
“Consistent with President Biden’s directive to strengthen our supply chains and encourage investments to shore up our domestic production, the Department initiated a Section 232 investigation on imports of NdFeB permanent magnets to determine whether U.S. reliance on imports for this critical product is a threat to our national security,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The secretary has until June 18, 2022 to submit to the president a report outlining the department’s findings and recommendations.
The department’s bureau of industry and security will accept comments, analyses and other data as part of the investigation through Nov. 12.
