The Alumina Chronicles:
Military Use Of Aluminum
In The United States Of America
January/February of 2019
Century Aluminum Company produces high purity aluminum at its facility in Hawesville, Kentucky.
This is the only location that produces high purity aluminum in the United States.
High purity aluminum is required as a component in many of the advanced technology products
utilized by the military in the nation. (Photograph is courtesy of Century Aluminum Company, 2018.)
Aluminum has been utilized by the armed forces of the United States of America for generations. Usage began with simple, basic products in the late 1800’s. Today, aluminum is used in a wide variety of products including those that are among the most technologically-advanced.
The Aluminum Association has stated that the extreme durability of aluminum is one of the metal’s key features for military use. “In addition to ‘everyday’ applications, aluminum’s strength and durability is also trusted for some of the most extreme uses imaginable,” according to a statement from the trade association. “Designers know that high-strength aluminum alloys can handle some of the harshest conditions on earth – and beyond.”
Usage of aluminum for military purposes grew substantially in the mid-1900’s.
Restrictions were placed on the use of aluminum for non-military purposes in the United States during specific times in the 20th century. Those restrictions were put in place due to limited supplies of aluminum during some of the years of World War II and the Korean War.
As the available supply of aluminum increased, those restrictions were lifted.
Aluminum producers saw great opportunities to provide the raw ingredient for many military products.
The headline of a news article dated December 13, 1950, in the Chicago Daily Tribune, was “Vast Capacity Increase Made for Aluminum”. The subheadline: “Quadrupled in Last Ten Years; Still Rising”.
This news article detailed how the industry’s “plans for expanding the use of aluminum in military equipment” would impact the need for production increases. Noted was the need for aluminum for rockets, guns, and vehicles, among other military materiel.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in a news article dated December 5, 1957, detailed a “Big Increase Seen in Use of Aluminum”. This news article quoted Mr. Richard Reynolds, Jr., President of Reynolds Metal Company, as stating that “The missile age had brought new and wider uses for aluminum for military purposes.”
As the global economy became more intertwined, aluminum production increased in a number of countries. Aluminum smelters throughout the United States closed. Recent years have seen large increases in aluminum production in China.
It was those large increases in the production of aluminum in China that prompted the United States to consider implementation of a broad-based aluminum tariff through Section 232 under the trade laws of the nation.
In a letter dated September 12, 2017, nine retired American military leaders – two vice admirals, one lieutenant general, four major generals, and two brigadier generals – as well as one retired national security expert advised President Donald Trump to implement tariffs to protect national security through a healthy industrial base.
“There is now only one domestic manufacturer that can make the high-purity aluminum needed for fighter jets like the F-35 as well as other military aircraft and vehicles,” the letter stated. “It is simply unthinkable that we would share the military specifications for the steel and aluminum used in some of our most sensitive weapons systems with strategic competitors such as China and Russia.”
Based on national security interests similar to the ones outlined in that letter, President Trump made the decision to implement a 10% broad-based tariff on aluminum imports into the United States earlier this year.
“As a result of President Trump’s leadership on the Section 232 aluminum tariffs, the United States industry has been able to ramp up its high purity aluminum production, seeking to recapture the sales it had lost to foreign suppliers,” stated Mr. Mark Duffy, Chief Executive Officer of the American Primary Aluminum Association. “High purity aluminum is used in the F-35, F-18 and F-16 fighter jets and other military equipment. A domestic source of American high purity aluminum is critical for United States national security.”
The highest purity level of aluminum is typically used in many of the products produced for the defense industry because many of the products are utilized by the military under extreme stress.
According to the United States Department of Commerce, only one facility within the borders of the nation produces high purity aluminum. “The Effect of Imports of Aluminum on the National Security”, a report issued by the Department in January of 2018, includes the following statements:
“The United States currently has five smelters remaining, only two smelters that are operating at full capacity. Only one of these five smelters produces high-purity aluminum required for critical infrastructure and defense aerospace applications…Should this one United States smelter close, the United States would be left without an adequate domestic supplier for key national security needs. The only other high-volume producers of high-purity aluminum are located in the United Arab Emirates and China (internal use only).”
This report details a number of ground/weapon systems, aircraft systems, and naval systems, among other items, that require the use of aluminum and are utilized by the armed forces of the United States.
Century Aluminum Company, one of America's largest primary aluminum producers, has invested more than $150 million in 2018 to enhance and return its smelter in Hawesville, Kentucky, to full capacity. For the past three years, this plant was operating at about 40% of capacity. By early 2019, it is anticipated to be at 100% operating capacity.
"The Trump administration's trade policies have provided much needed relief to America's primary aluminum workers – leveling the playing field and ensuring that the United States primary aluminum industry maintains its competitiveness on the world stage,” stated Mr. Michael Bless, Chief Executive Officer of Century Aluminum Company. “[Our] restart will allow us to return to 100 percent capacity in the months ahead while upgrading our smelting technology to ensure we remain competitive long into the future.”
“Lieutenant Commander Chris Tabert, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23,
pilots Navy F-35C test aircraft during an external GBU-31 flutter and flying qualities test flight
from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland,” according to a statement from the
United States Navy. This flight took place on April 10, 2018. High-purity aluminum is a key
component in the construction of fighter jets like the F-35. (Photograph was taken by
Mr. Dane Wiedmann and is provided courtesy of the United States Navy, 2018.)
The guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) is seen here in the Atlantic Ocean during rough seas
on May 27, 2011, according to a statement from the United States Navy. “The USS Anzio [was]
deployed as part of the George H. W. Bush Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security
operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the United States 5th and 6th Fleet areas
of responsibility.” (Photograph was taken by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian Brooks
and is provided courtesy of the United States Navy, 2011.)
In December of 2017, BAE Systems, a major defense contractor, announced that the United States Navy awarded the business a contract to help modernize the USS Anzio (CG 68). The upgrades are being done at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair in Virginia, the ship’s homeport.
Among the ship alterations and repairs aboard of the 567-foot-long USS Anzio is “the replacement of critical aluminum structures,” according to Mr. Karl Johnson, Communications Director of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. “We are doing similar work on a number of other Navy cruisers, including the USS Vicksburg.”
“This contract, along with other recent ship repair contracts, provides important work for our shipyard team, particularly for our skilled employees who work with aluminum structures aboard Navy ships,” stated Mr. Dave Thomas, Vice President and General Manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair.
“The USS Anzio was commissioned in May 1992,” Mr. Johnson stated. “The ship is the third East Coast-based guided missile cruiser to undergo the extensive repair and upgrade work under the Navy’s long-term cruiser modernization program. In addition to the USS Vicksburg, the company’s Norfolk shipyard began modernization work aboard the first East Coast ship in the program, the USS Gettysburg (CG 64). The company’s San Diego shipyard executed similar work aboard the USS Cowpens (CG 63).”
An F/A-18C Hornet is seen here engaging in aircraft maneuvers during an airpower demonstration in the
Pacific Ocean on June 6, 2011, according to a statement from the United States Navy. “The F/A-18C Hornet
broke the sound barrier during this air power demonstration over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70),” the statement continued. According to several reports, about half of this
aircraft was made of aluminum. While the United States Navy retired its use of this aircraft in 2018, the
United States Marine Corps still utilizes some of these aircraft in its military operations. (Photograph was taken by
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis Mendoza and is provided courtesy of the United States Navy, 2011.)
The Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) as seen floating on the James River on November 17, 2013.
(Photograph is courtesy of the United States Navy, 2013.)
“Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, procures various types of material from raw materials to complex components for Navy vessels,” stated Ms. Beci Brenton, Corporate Director of Public Affairs at Huntington Ingalls Industries. “A detailed search showed that since 1999, a total of 457 suppliers have provided material or components that contain aluminum at Newport News Shipbuilding.”
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company.
“The total value of the components that contain aluminum purchased by Newport News Shipbuilding since 1999 was in excess of $261 million,” according to Ms. Brenton. “Of that amount, more than $49 million worth of aluminum and aluminum components were utilized in the building of the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) in Virginia.”
“A United States Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off on a mission at dawn from Bagram Airfield,
Afghanistan, [on] February 11, 2014,” according to a statement from the United States Air Force. The statement
indicated that the aircraft and crews at Bagram Airfield were prepared to fly 24 hours a day. According to The
Aluminum Association, “the airframe for the famed fighter jet – the F-16 – is 80% aluminum.” (Photograph
was taken by Senior Master Sgt. Gary Rihn and is provided courtesy of the United States Air Force, 2014.)
The United States military uses aluminum for a number of construction purposes throughout the world.
Members of the United States Navy Seabees are seen here building a security gate at a school in Santo Domingo
in the Dominican Republic on November 15, 2011. “Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion
(NMCB) 23 embarked aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift, carry a sheet of aluminum that…[was] used
as part of a security gate at Escuela Basica Rafaela Santaella,” according to a statement from the United States
Navy. The Seabees replaced missing letters and repainted “the monument [bearing the name of the school] as
part of a community service project in support of Southern Partnership Station 2012,” the statement
continued. “Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of United States ships to the United States
Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean, Central and South America.” (Photograph was taken
by United States Army Sgt. 1st Class Alan Owens and is provided courtesy of the United States Navy, 2011.)
From a modest beginning with such basic products as canteens to provide a safe way for troops to carry water to inclusion in sophisticated weapon systems that provide protection from attack for an entire nation, aluminum has been shown to a versatile metal that is critical to the military of the United States.
Do you have questions about the aluminum industry?
Governmental regulations? Company operations?
Your questions may be used in a future news column.
Contact Richard McDonough at aluminachronicles@gmail.com.
© 2018 Richard McDonough