WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA) hosted a fireside chat between four-star General David Petraeus and Century Aluminum CEO Jesse Gary on the importance of domestic primary aluminum production to American national and economic security. In addition to the fireside chat, economist Dr. Adam Hersh, a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts, presented a study detailing how foreign government subsidies and unfair trade policies have contributed to the United States’ remarkable shift from leading the global aluminum industry 25 years ago to producing just 1% of global capacity. 

According to the Modern War Institute at West Point, aluminum is a “foundational material for aircraft, armored vehicles, naval systems, and munitions components.” In 2022, the last American primary aluminum smelter capable of producing the high-purity aluminum required for many of these critical applications closed, leaving the United States reliant on foreign sources for this critical national security material. In June 2025, President Donald J. Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum to strengthen domestic aluminum production and support American manufacturers and workers from unfairly traded aluminum that is subsidized by foreign governments.

“Primary aluminum is critically important to U.S. national security and to the safety of our warfighters,” said General David H. Petraeus. “As we are seeing with conflicts around the world, including the war in Iran, foreign sources of primary aluminum become unavailable during times of crisis. America cannot afford to be dependent on China, Russia, and the Middle East for foundational metals that are essential to our military.”

“General Petraeus is an American hero and one of the world’s foremost experts on military readiness and national security,” said Century Aluminum CEO Jesse Gary. “His insights into the importance of homegrown primary and military-grade aluminum, particularly during times of conflict, are a call to action to ensure the United States is prepared to defend our homeland and interests around the world. We are grateful for President Trump’s strong leadership through his 50% Section 232 national security tariff program with no exemptions or exceptions for primary aluminum to support long-term investment in American aluminum production, uphold our military readiness, and create new American aluminum jobs. These policies have led to historic investment and are what has given us the necessary stability and momentum as we work to rebuild U.S. primary aluminum production in South Carolina, Kentucky and Oklahoma.”

“In less than a generation, unfair trade and foreign state subsidies have displaced the United States from leading the world’s aluminum industry to making just 1% of all global aluminum,” said economist Dr. Adam Hersh. “The loss of aluminum smelting capacity represents a massive market failure that exposes the U.S. economy and society at large to the risk of aluminum supply chain disruptions. of global production. So long as other countries keep adding to the aluminum supply glut, most recently with Chinese offshore investments in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Angola, a strong Section 232 tariff program and other incentives will remain essential to rebuilding the American aluminum industry.”

“General Petraeus’ analysis underscores the critical importance of primary aluminum to U.S. national and economic security,” said David Kaplan, an owner of Magnitude 7 Metals. “The 50% Section 232 aluminum tariff without exceptions or exemptions will allow us to create hundreds of new good-paying aluminum jobs in Missouri’s Bootheel and launch a new Golden Age for American aluminum manufacturing.”

Dr. Hersh’s full study is available here.

Background
In 2000, 23 primary aluminum smelters were operating in the United States, compared with 10 in Canada. Today, only four remain in the United States, and none has the capability to produce military-grade aluminum. Following Canada’s exemption from U.S. aluminum tariffs, Canadian aluminum imports surged by 30%, while U.S. primary aluminum production declined by an alarming 30%. The resulting shift in the market contributed to the loss of thousands of American aluminum jobs as imports of Canadian primary aluminum increased.

High-purity aluminum is a critical component in the production of military-grade aluminum and is essential to U.S. military readiness and warfighting capabilities. According to the Modern War Institute at West Point, aluminum is “is a foundational material for aircraft, armored vehicles, naval systems, and munitions components.”

About the American Primary Aluminum Association:
The American Primary Aluminum Association advances the interests of America’s primary aluminum industry and its workers through the Aluminum Now campaign. APAA is registered and incorporated in Washington, DC and operates as a non-profit trade association. For more, please visit: www.aluminumnow.org.

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SOURCE American Primary Aluminum Association