Rheinmetall Takes Minority Stake in Rock Tech Lithium and Its German Refinery

This is a notable crossover: a defense prime anchoring a domestic lithium conversion project signals that critical-materials security is being framed as industrial policy rather than a pure commodity bet. It matters for European battery and automotive supply chains, which have long depended on imported refined lithium, and for other would-be European converters seeking strategic backers. The open question is whether Rheinmetall's involvement is a one-off defensive hedge or the start of broader defense-industry participation in upstream and midstream critical-minerals assets.