U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security
Industrial Base Surveys and Assessments
Strategic Materials Survey
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), is conducting a survey and assessment to evaluate the supply chains associated with several materials considered important to DOD programs and systems. These materials include metals – magnesium and titanium; carbon fiber materials – polyacrylonitrite-based (PAN) fibers and bismaleimide (BMI) matrices; and rare earth elements (REE) – dysprosium, erbium, neodymium, terbium, and ytterbium.
The principal goal of this assessment is to assist the DOD in understanding the health and competitiveness of important material suppliers and to identify specific issues and challenges facing the industry. Information collected will cover government and commercial revenue, financial and operational performance, employment and skills, production capacity, research and development, unique supplier capabilities, and other topics. The resulting dataset and report will assist DOD agencies in developing targeted planning and acquisition strategies designed to ensure the availability of materials critical to defense missions and programs.
The survey is designed to provide information on companies, universities, non-profits, and government agencies providing REE and/or REE-related products and services. Your participation is vital to ensure a comprehensive dataset for the assessment.
Response Obligations
Your organization has been identified as a direct or indirect supplier of Rare Earth Elements or Rare Earth Element-related products or services and is required by federal law, under 50 U.S.C. App. Sec. 2155, to complete this survey within 30 calendar days. If your organization has multiple business units and/or facilities, each may have been contacted by BIS. If you have not already done so, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to (1) confirm receipt of this letter, (2) provide a point of contact, and (3) determine if any of your affiliated business units or facilities also received this mailing.
To begin, download the Microsoft Excel-formatted survey and corresponding instructions below.
Rare Earth Survey (Excel)* │ Rare Earth Survey (PDF)*
Complete and submit the Excel version via email to BIS at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. BIS will only accept Excel-formatted survey submissions. The PDF version is only a reference document for your organization's internal use and cannot be submitted in place of a completed Excel survey. If your organization utilizes a PDF version as a reference, the PDF document below contains the dropdown menu choices not visible in the PDF version of the survey template.
*Note 1: Save a copy of the Excel survey to your computer before you make any inputs to the questionnaire.
*Note 2: If, when clicking on the above links, your computer does not ask if you want to download the file to your computer, right click on the link and select "Save As."
If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact the BIS survey support staff by either e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone at (202) 482-7808. E-mail is the preferred method of contact and will allow for a detailed response by BIS for your organization’s records