The U.S. military's "Centre for Strategic Leadership - U.S. Army War College" recently published a very interesting Issue Paper in July, 2011.
The title of the paper is "Strategic Minerals: Is China's Consumption a Threat to United States Security?" One of the stategic metals frequently mentioned is chromium which is an essential component of many military applications.
Click here for the article on RepublicOfMining.com:
http://www.republicofmining.com/2011/09/26/strategic-minerals-is-china%e2%80%99s-consumption-a-threat-to-united-states-security-by-dr-kent-hughes-butts-mr-brent-bankus-and-2nd-lieutenant-adam-norris-u-s-army-war-college-july-2011/
Cheers
Strategic Miner