U.S. Defense Officials Consider National Battery Strategy to Reduce China Dependence

Batteries power military drones, sensor arrays, radio equipment, and robotics, according to the Atlantic Council. The report states that China makes over 80 percent of the world's battery cells and 98 percent of lithium-iron-phosphate cathode production.

The Atlantic Council said Beijing has used state subsidies, protectionist policies, and a domestic electric vehicle market to dominate every stage of the battery supply chain. In 2023, China accounted for 74 percent of global exports of battery packs and components.

Battery-powered systems already support electronic-warfare equipment and unmanned ground vehicles. The Atlantic Council noted that about 80 percent of casualties in one Ukrainian unit were evacuated by battery-powered robots and 90 percent of supplies in the Pokrovsk sector moved by unmanned ground vehicles.

China's military has publicized use of unmanned ground vehicles in exercises, the report added. Korea and Japan operate diesel-electric submarines that use lithium-ion batteries.

Proposed U.S.

The report said joint research could help develop solid-state and lithium-sulfur batteries with higher energy density and faster charge rates. Such batteries could extend submarine endurance, increase drone sortie rates, and reduce the 21 pounds of batteries U.S. soldiers carry on 72-hour missions, according to the Atlantic Council.