Gallium is a strategic mineral for the weapons industry, and Venezuela could have some of the largest reserves worldwide, although it has never been exported. Photo: Foobar.
Jorge Barragán is an international analyst. He graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV).
Guacamaya, February 3, 2026. A silent battle is taking place globally for critical minerals. In the heart of the Guiana Shield, Venezuela holds a valuable piece that could reshape the hemispheric security landscape. We are referring to gallium.
What is Gallium and Why Should We Care?
Gallium isn’t the type of mineral you’d find in a jewelry store, but it is crucial for world powers to enhance their military defense capabilities in an international system where might is more important than rules.
This soft, silvery metal has become indispensable: it forms the basis for Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), compounds enabling electrons to travel at speeds that traditional silicon can only aspire to.
For the United States, gallium is not just an option; it’s essential for military survival. Without it, the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars on F-35 fighter jets would be blinded, electronic warfare systems would go mute, and precision-guided missiles would lose their guidance. As CSIS analyst Aidan Powers-Riggs wisely points out:
“Gallium has become a geoeconomic weapon. It’s not just a mineral; it’s the essence of modern defense.”
Gallium carries immense strategic significance; this little-known metal is vital for advanced electronic warfare systems. The United States does not produce gallium domestically and lacks governmental reserves, as highlighted in an Atlantic Council analysis.
China’s Iron Fist
This is where it gets interesting. At present, China not only owns the mines; it wields the power to use them strategically. Beijing controls about 98% of the world’s gallium refining capabilities. It’s not that gallium is rare in other parts of the globe; it’s that China has advanced the processing infrastructure and chemical resins necessary to extract it as a byproduct of bauxite, at prices which have choked Western competitors.
In late 2024, China made its intentions clear by prohibiting gallium exports to the U.S. Though a “tactical truce” in January 2026 has permitted certain flows until November. The Pentagon is aware that relying on an adversary for its radar chips is, strategically speaking, reckless.
Venezuela: Gray Gold Beneath the Red Mud
Geologist José Joaquín Bogarín, the first Venezuelan researcher to formalize studies on critical minerals, emphasizes that the nation is sitting on vast “unexplored potential.” Bogarín notes that, beyond the 350 million certified tons in Los Pijiguaos, developing projects to process red mud—a historically discarded byproduct rich in aluminum and other elements—could significantly increase current reserves, positioning Venezuela favorably in the global geoeconomy. In fact, some reports estimate the total geological potential of bauxite in the country at 6 billion tons, which would account for nearly 20% of future global supply.
However, we must be candid: the resource alone means little. The former prominence of CVG Bauxilum and the logistics of CVG Ferrominera have dwindled into shadows of an industrial capacity initially built for aluminum production, not for capturing critical minerals. Venezuelan bauxite is abundant in gallium, but that gallium is presently lost within the “red mud,” a toxic waste, due to our lack of refining technology and facilities for separation.
Recovering gallium seldom makes economic sense on its own; it becomes viable when part of multi-product strategies. Alumina refining presents the fastest pathway to augment gallium reserves. In aluminum production, much gallium dissolves in the caustic solution, while the remaining bonds to the red mud residue. China’s choice to install capture units transformed its aluminum refineries into a strategic asset.
The facilities of CVG Bauxilum, the state-owned Venezuelan company focused on bauxite processing, were designed solely for aluminum production. Photo: CVG Bauxilum.What Could Happen: The Strategic Turn
If Venezuela can, through strategic openness and legal as well as political security, attract the necessary investment to set up gallium recovery systems, the situation could change drastically. The country could attain a significant strategic position.
For Washington, a gallium supplier located just days’ sail away in the Caribbean would be the dream scenario for any military logistics planner. For Venezuela, it means entering the high-end semiconductor supply chain, a market where a kilogram of pure gallium is valued at hundreds of dollars, not just cents.
The question isn’t if we possess the mineral. The question is if we can comprehend our current status as a nation in the international system. Of generating the trust necessary to draw international investments that would enable us to develop this industry.
Works cited:CSIS (2025): Beyond Rare Earths: China’s Growing Threat to Gallium Supply Chains. [Powers-Riggs & Funaiole].Atlantic Council (2025): Solving the US military’s gallium dilemma. [Morgan D. Bazilian].Reuters / Mining.com (2025): US critical minerals list expands. [Andy Home].USGS (2025): Mineral Commodity Summaries: Gallium.