Senators Press Pentagon Financiers to Invest in Smackover Formation Lithium
U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman of Arkansas, joined by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, are urging the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital to prioritize domestic lithium production, including projects tied to the Smackover Formation.
In a letter to OSC Director David Lorch, the three Republicans framed lithium as a defense supply-chain priority foundational to precision munitions and advanced weapons systems, including Tomahawk missiles, Patriot batteries, PAC-3 missiles, Hellfire missiles and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems.
“Domestic production from this region could materially reduce American dependence on foreign-controlled lithium sources and provide a reliable upstream supply for domestic defense manufacturers,” the senators wrote.
Cotton, Boozman and Cruz want the office to treat Smackover lithium development as a priority investment target worthy of OSC engagement, Title III Defense Production Act authorities and other financing tools.
What’s Next
The senators asked OSC to explain by May 25 how it ranks critical minerals, whether lithium is a high-priority material, how it coordinates with agencies like Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Commerce, and what changes could help it support Smackover lithium projects.
“The urgency of this issue demands we move with speed,” the senators wrote. “We are confident that the Department shares this urgency.”
The letter adds another federal signal that Arkansas and the wider Smackover region are being viewed through a national security lens and not just an economic development one.
More: Read the letter.
Previously: Last fall, Cotton, Boozman and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging him to support American lithium producers to combat China’s global dominance of the market.
