The UK Government’s recent announcement to prioritise domestic suppliers across steel,  shipbuilding, AI and energy infrastructure for national security procurement is both  welcome and necessary. It signals a clear shift towards strengthening sovereign  capability, building resilient supply chains, and recognising that industrial capacity is  fundamental to national security. 

However, within this announcement sits a notable and concerning omission. Aluminium is not mentioned. 

At a time when the UK is actively seeking to strengthen its defence industry and reduce  reliance on overseas supply chains, this absence is increasingly difficult to justify. The  omission of aluminium is not a minor oversight, it represents a fundamental gap in how  we are defining strategic materials in the context of national security. 

Aluminium is not a peripheral material. It is a foundational one. Its unique combination  of light weight, strength, corrosion resistance and recyclability makes it indispensable  across defence, transport, energy and advanced manufacturing. Nowhere is this more  

evident than in shipbuilding, one of the sectors highlighted in the Government’s  announcement. Modern vessels increasingly rely on aluminium to improve efficiency,  reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance. This is already  happening in the UK, with companies such as OCEA demonstrating how aluminium is  central to next-generation maritime capability. 

If shipbuilding is considered critical to national security, then the materials that enable  it must also be treated as strategically important. 

The UK’s current position also sits increasingly at odds with its international  counterparts. In the United States, aluminium is formally recognised as a strategic and  critical material. It was designated as a “critical mineral” by the Department of the  Interior in 2022 and remains included in subsequent critical materials lists, including the  2025 update. This classification reflects a clear understanding of aluminium’s  importance to defence, infrastructure and industrial resilience. 

Similarly, the European Union has moved decisively in recognising aluminium’s strategic  role. Under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), aluminium is now classified as a  strategic raw material, essential for the green transition, security and industrial  autonomy. Demand is expected to rise significantly as it underpins everything from  defence systems to renewable energy and electric mobility. 

Against this backdrop, the UK’s omission of aluminium from its national security  narrative is increasingly out of step with global policy direction.

At ALFED, we have been working closely with industry and defence stakeholders to  better understand aluminium’s role in national security. Our recent Defence Report  makes this position unequivocally clear: aluminium is identified as a NATO critical  material and ranked as number one in terms of strategic importance. This reflects its  central role in enabling military mobility, lightweight transport systems, secure  infrastructure and the technologies required for both defence and the energy  transition. 

Yet despite this, aluminium does not yet feature prominently in UK policy discussions  around national security procurement. 

This points to a broader strategic blind spot. While the Government is right to focus on  strengthening domestic supply chains and reducing reliance on overseas sourcing,  aluminium remains one of the most globally exposed and energy-intensive supply  chains in the world. Without a clear domestic strategy, the UK risks continued  dependence on international markets for a material that underpins its defence,  infrastructure and energy systems. 

This is not simply a matter of recognition; it is a matter of alignment. If the UK is serious  about building a resilient, future-proof defence and industrial base, then its policies  must reflect the full reality of the materials that underpin modern systems. Steel will  always have a vital role to play, but it cannot be viewed in isolation. Aluminium is  equally critical, and in many applications, it is irreplaceable. 

There is, however, a clear opportunity. The UK has a strong and capable aluminium  sector, with expertise spanning production, processing, recycling, finishing and  distribution. It also has the potential to lead in low-carbon aluminium, aligning industrial  growth with net zero ambitions. What is needed now is a policy framework that  recognises and supports this capability – one that embeds aluminium into national  security thinking, procurement strategies and long-term industrial planning. 

The Government’s announcement is an important step forward, but it must now go  further. Recognising aluminium as a strategic material would not only strengthen the  UK’s national security position, it would also unlock investment, drive innovation and  ensure that the country remains competitive in an increasingly complex global  landscape. 

At ALFED, we have set out the evidence and recommendations in our Defence Report,  and I would strongly encourage policymakers and industry leaders to engage with it: https://alfed.org.uk/alfed-defence-report/ 

National security today is not defined solely by defence budgets or military capability. It  is defined by the strength of our supply chains, the resilience of our industries and the  materials that make modern infrastructure possible. 

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