WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Defense Department has announced that it will invest $18.5 million to expand the production of Germanium and Silicon optics.
The Department said that it will provide the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funds to Lattice Materials, a Bozeman, Montana-based manufacturer of silicon and germanium parts.
The investment will increase Lattice's germanium and silicon crystal production capacity, which is essential for the optics supply chain, at its Bozeman, Montana, facility, thus reducing lead times and increasing readiness for multiple key platforms. This investment uses funds from the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022. It also supports the Trump Administration's goal to increase the production of processed critical minerals and other derivative products as articulated in the March 20, 2025, Executive Order 14241 - Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.
'Mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities and expanding domestic production for critical minerals is one of DOW's highest priorities,' said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Mike Cadenazzi. 'This investment will help ensure a secure supply of germanium and silicon-based optics for surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities that our warfighters need.'
Lattice is a leading U.S. manufacturer of germanium and silicon infrared optical lenses, windows, and mirrors used in many defense optics systems. Using these funds, Lattice will increase its capacity to produce optical grade germanium and silicon crystals, as well as establish capability to produce germanium metal from recycled scrap. This project will scale Lattice's current capabilities in crystal growth and optics manufacturing and achieve increased capacity for Defense Department applications.
'Optics are a pacing item for major weapons platforms across all the military Services,' added Jeffrey Frankston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Resilience, which oversees the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate. 'Alleviating bottlenecks in our germanium supply chain will have an outsized impact on readiness.'
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