EconDefense
IND-20 / Materials and strategic stockpiles

Refine, recycle, recover and qualify strategic materials and sources

Process/rotate stockpile materials, recover strategic materials from federal waste/end-of-life equipment, qualify reliable-source facilities and contract for recycling.

Action briefPDF dossier · original 168Download record
Authority / instrument · IND-20

Materials processing and recycling

Materials and strategic stockpiles

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

National Defense Stockpile Manager; USD(A&S) and DLA Director for recovery expansion

What this does not authorize / hard limit

Not a general municipal recycling or mining subsidy program

Recorded executor

DLA Strategic Materials acquisition, materials management, and contracting functions

Continue to actor →

Recorded executing role; this record-specific route is not an additional institutional office.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAdequate Stockpile Transaction Fund resources; R&D and recovery costs subject to §98h restrictions. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProcess sourcedThe research route is explicitly linked to section 98g, and official DLA reports document actual material recovery and qualification activity. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Mission goalExpand production
Possible toolIND-20 · Other statutory tools

Authority holder: National Defense Stockpile Manager; USD(A&S) and DLA Director for recovery expansion

Other statutory tools

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Conditional legal pathway; current funding, required determinations, and actual delegation not certified.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

The research route is explicitly linked to section 98g, and official DLA reports document actual material recovery and qualification activity.

DLA strategic-material research, qualification and germanium recovery

Who this route serves
Research suppliers and qualifying recovery/processing contractors; federal surplus custodians for recovery transfers.
Administering office / routing lead
DLA Strategic Materials with DLA R&D/Disposition Services; FY 26 BAA identifies DCSO-C3 contracting.
Direct implementation

The BAA explicitly implements research under section 98g. News reports and program history demonstrate recovery operations, but do not independently identify every section 98h-6 contract subtype.

What this evidence label means
Documented research/recovery activity

The FY 2025 history reports seven R&D investments and 4,396 kg of germanium delivered to date. Projected future deliveries are not counted as completed.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

DLA FY 2025 History · Strategic Materials sections(4)R&D,(5)Sales,(6)Acquisition,(7)Germanium recoveryofficial annual report · Evidence record

Program eligibility

  • Research must match NDS needs and BAA technical scope; full proposals follow invitation after white-paper review.

    DLA research supplier pathway · White Paper; Full Proposalofficial program guidance · published 2026-06-02 · Evidence record

Steps and preparation

Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

  • historical research investments · FY 2025

    SevenFY25research investments totaled$5M. This is historical allocation/use, not remaining2026money.

    DLA FY 2025 History · Strategic Materials§ 4official annual report · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

Authority relationship source

DLA FY 26 Research and Qualification BAA SP800026BBAA0 · Opening page,50 USC98g and DCSO-C3 contracting officeofficial solicitation · Evidence record

DLA R&D supplier pathway →

research solicitation process: Follow a liveBAA; not a municipal recycling or general mining-grant portal.

Source access and verification notes
Research scope and sources checked

Searched DLA strategic-materials recycling/germanium/qualification; examined FY25history and FY26BAA authority excerpt; official indexed text used where direct403.

What remains unverified

  • Do not treat projected germanium deliveries or the former contract’s October 1, 2026 endpoint as verified delivery/completion; current successor contract not checked.
  • Exact§ 98h-6recycling contract terms andcurrentFY26BAAamendments remain gaps.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Stockpile-purpose processing/qualification; reliable-source eligibility
  • Include transactions in annual plan
  • Recovery programs designed for positive cash flow except national-defense necessity

Limits & exclusions

  • Not a general municipal recycling or mining subsidy program
  • Research and supplier qualification must relate to statutory materials purposes

Funding conditions

  • Adequate Stockpile Transaction Fund resources; R&D and recovery costs subject to §98h restrictions.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

  • DLA Strategic Materials
  • Military Departments supplying requirement data
  • USD(A&S)
    Office profile

Resources

  • National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund
  • DLA finance

Approval

  • National Defense Stockpile Manager; President for reserved functions

Execution

  • DLA Strategic Materials acquisition, materials management, and contracting functions

Partners & review

  • Strategic and Critical Materials Board
  • Commerce / State / Energy as applicable
  • Private miners, processors, recyclers

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Requirement sponsor → named planning office → resource owner and counsel → statutory approving official → authorized executing/contracting office.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedAdequate Stockpile Transaction Fund resources; R&D and recovery costs subject to §98h restrictions. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementProcess sourcedThe research route is explicitly linked to section 98g, and official DLA reports document actual material recovery and qualification activity. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Confidence: High on statutory permission; execution roles are organizational routing, not verified individual delegations.

Currentness: 2024 official U.S. Code operative text read; relevant amendments in Pub. L. 119-60 (Dec. 18, 2025), 119-21 and 119-103 examined. Rolling OLRC source consulted where retrievable; transaction-specific later-law and delegation confirmation remains necessary.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

Related tools in this family