What is Samarium and why is the US concerned about it?

What is Samarium and why is the US concerned about it?

The United States has expressed growing concern over its dependence on China for samarium supplies, a rare earth element vital to defense and aerospace sectors, as Beijing tightens regulations over the global rare earth supply chain amid escalating geopolitical tensions. What is Samarium? Samarium, a silvery metal belonging to the lanthanide group, plays a pivotal role in the production of samarium-cobalt magnets—components prized for their high…