Geopolitics of Critical Minerals (Dallas)

Please join BENS members and guests for the luncheon discussion Rock, Paper, Pentagon; Aligning Statecraft, Capital Markets, and Global Partnerships in the Race for Critical Minerals with Professor John M. Melkon II, Ph.D., Professor of Geography at the United States Military Academy, Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations.

Professor Melkon will explain the geopolitical risks the U.S. faces in our pursuit of the secure and uninterruptable sources of critical minerals.

The Rise of Critical Minerals
In October 2025, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs wrote that in 21st-century geopolitics and economic policy, few terms have risen in prominence as quickly as critical minerals.

The U.S. Energy Act of 2020 defines a mineral as “critical” if it meets three conditions:

• it is essential to economic or national security

• its supply chain is vulnerable to disruption

• it performs a function in manufacturing that cannot be replaced without serious consequences, whether higher costs for key technologies, slower deployment of clean energy, or risks to defense and communications systems.

Put more simply, critical minerals are raw materials without which modern economies cannot function but whose supply is at risk, minerals such as lithium for EV batteries or gallium for semiconductors. Other critical minerals include cobalt, graphite, manganese, and nickel, each with distinct uses and supply chains.

They are strategic assets, forming the base for clean energy systems, advanced technologies, and national defense. The U.S. Geological Survey manages the list of critical minerals, updating it every three years. The 2022 list contained 50 minerals. A draft for 2025 expanded this to 54.

Speaker Background
John Melkon is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences at the United States Military Academy, where he has led the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations (CSCMO) since 2012. He facilitates the coordination, planning, and execution of the center’s strategic vision and mission to educate faculty, cadets, and the broader community of practice. He also teaches seminars on Sub-Saharan African geography and the geography of the Middle East and North Africa.

Melkon is an extraordinary professor of practice at North-West University in South Africa. He co-authored a chapter in the textbook Effective Civil-Military Interaction in Peace Operations and appeared on panels at Princeton University, U.S. Africa Command, the United States Institute of Peace, and the U.S. Naval War College. He serves on the board for the Alumni and Friends of Princeton ROTC.

Prior to joining CSCMO, Melkon served as a senior operations advisor to U.S. Army Africa in Vicenza, Italy, from 2009-12, where he provided strategic liaison to interagency and multinational partners and advised the command on critical operational planning. During that time, he supported Operation Odyssey Dawn. He previously served as a strategic operations officer for the Department of Defense from 2006-2009 with service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Before returning to public service, Melkon worked as an international banking associate for Credit Suisse First Boston in Frankfurt, Germany. Earlier, he served more than 13 years as an Army Special Forces officer with operational experience on five continents and in dozens of countries. Over a national security career spanning more than 25 years, he gained extensive operational and combat experience in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia. His expertise includes civil-military operations, unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and foreign internal defense. Melkon has lived or deployed overseas for nearly 14 years and maintains proficiency in several languages, including French, Korean, and German.

Since 9/11, Melkon has completed multiple combat tours in Afghanistan in both uniformed and civilian roles. He planned and executed combat operations with Joint Special Operations Task Forces and other Special Operations Forces against elements of al-Qaida, the Taliban, and other terrorist organizations. His awards include the French Medal for National Defense, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism, and the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award from a Joint Special Operations Task Force. He is Special Forces, Ranger, and Airborne qualified.

Melkon is a graduate of the National Senior Intelligence Course and an FBI-certified crisis negotiator. He received his bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University, where he played football, lacrosse, and rugby. He is a doctoral candidate at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. He holds a master's degree in European politics and history and a Certificate of Professional Achievement in risk management from Columbia University. He also holds a master's degree from the Lowry Mays School of Business and a master's with honors from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He is a Harvard Kennedy School senior executive in national and international security.

Organizer:
Matthew Elias
melias@bens.org

Cost: $65