"Estimated". And theres plenty of credible information available if you learn to use a search engine. However there is no official Govt. sources because its considered secret in an attempt to keep prices as low as possible to prevent hysteric buying like with gold.
The real backstory lies in the usage of silver in modern weaponry and the fact that the world is building such weapons at an unprecedented rate. When I was in we had only one or two offensive missile types that we'd now consider "smart weapons", not counting ICBM's. Even during the Gulf war such weapons only made up a small percentage of deployed ordinance. In the Iraq war this % had gone up dramtically as it did during the war on terror. Now ? At this moment ? Such weaponry makes up almost the entirety of our offensive and defensive stocks. Even the dumb bombs get snap on kits that make them "smart" and its in the seekers and advanced algorithms where silver is being used at break neck speed.
The reporting of Silver in Missiles does not exist. Learn about the new reporting of millions of ounces that could help drive the silver price higher.
Silver has been used for thousands of years as ornaments and utensils, for trade, and as the basis for many monetary systems. Of all the metals, pure silver has the whitest color, the highest optical reflectivity, and the highest thermal and electrical conductivity. Backstory. Whenever you...
Silver in Service: Unveiling its Critical Role in the Military Industry Yes, silver is indeed used in the military industry. Its unique properties, including high electrical and thermal conductivity, antimicrobial qualities, and malleability, make it indispensable in various defense...
The military’s hidden demand for silver could be far greater than we realize, with significant implications for global prices and supply chains. Could silver be the next big commodity squeeze?
A new analysis posits that the use of silver by the military may be significantly higher than demand from investment, solar panels, and electronics combined. These findings raise questions regarding transparency of the metal’s demand data, with a new discovery showing that the U.S. turned...
Buy Gold, Silver, and Platinum bullion online at JM Bullion. FREE Shipping on $199+ Orders. Immediate Delivery - Call Us 800-276-6508 - BBB Accredited.
www.jmbullion.com
So keeping silver off the "critical minerals" list may just be the Govt. avoiding the onerous regulations and over-sight that would accompany such a classification. That and the fact there is still a whole lot of the metal being mined and much of it in fairly stable supply chains which are necessary for the America that has to import so much of it even tho we have somewhat ample reserves. But why the secrecy then ?
Well now in 2025 there has been a revolution in the arms race in the form of 100% of the ordinance we would consider "smart" weapons would be used in the opening days of a campaign. Including such designs as hyper-sonic missilery, which use copious amounts of silver. But the use of the metal in the electronics and seeker tech is only the beginning. We use it in the entire spectrum of military technology's today including such emerging ones like A.I., that allow missilery to actually "think" on their own to change attack parameters according to fluctuating defense variables. Radars like the emerging SPY-6 naval radars, which are extremely powerful devices, are another example of silver being needed for military applications. And a lot of is as well.
And its so necessary I could type for hours listing all the applications silver is needed for military use. But I hope Ive made my point already.