Critical Minerals | Press Release
S.A.F.E. Structure Advances U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Tasked Gallium Recovery Pilot to Strengthen America’s Critical Minerals Supply Chain
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Las Vegas-based S.A.F.E. Structure Designs (SAFE) is advancing a domestic gallium recovery pilot following tasking from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Announced on October 8, 2026, the initiative aims to take processing technology that has been proven in the laboratory and turn it into a practical field capability — one that supports America’s critical minerals supply chain.
Led by President and CEO Johnny Buscema, SAFE Structure Designs is a Nevada-based defense engineering and manufacturing company. The gallium recovery pilot is the latest step for SAFE Critical Minerals, the division applying the company’s design, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities to domestic critical minerals recovery.
Advancing Domestic Gallium Recovery
SAFE is working with a specialized research and development partner on the pilot. Within that effort, SAFE contributes manufacturing and systems integration — translating the processing technology into modular critical minerals recovery equipment suitable for field demonstration.
The pilot is intended to demonstrate gallium recovery from domestic feedstocks, including gold-mine tailings. Rather than starting from new extraction, the approach centers on processing materials that already exist within the United States. The stated objective is a repeatable domestic capability, along with a foundation for future deployment and production.
The work is at the pilot stage. According to the announcement, the pilot will provide a basis for evaluating field performance and for informing future manufacturing and deployment decisions.
Bipartisan Support and Defense Logistics Agency Interest
The critical minerals initiative has received support from Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), supporting letters from Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony and State Senator Carrie Buck, and support from U.S. Representative Dina Titus — Republican and Democratic leaders aligned around domestic critical minerals processing and American manufacturing.
The Defense Logistics Agency’s research and development office also provided a letter of support, expressing interest in following the technology’s development, particularly its application to gallium recovery.
Strengthening America’s Critical Minerals Supply Chain
Gallium is a critical mineral used in semiconductors and advanced electronics, including the gallium nitride and gallium arsenide components found in radar, communications, and power systems. The United States has no primary domestic gallium production and relies on imports, while China accounts for the vast majority of global supply and has restricted gallium exports in recent years.
That makes domestic gallium recovery a supply chain resilience issue for American manufacturing and the defense industrial base. SAFE’s initiative connects two parts of the answer: recovering critical minerals from materials already within U.S. borders, and building the equipment to do it here. The broader goal is to strengthen domestic critical minerals processing, expand American manufacturing opportunities, and advance Nevada’s role in the nation’s strategic supply chain.
Engineering and Manufacturing Innovation
SAFE provides custom design, engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration for military and government applications, supporting programs across aviation, maritime, defense, infrastructure, and critical minerals. The same design, engineer, manufacture process behind SAFE’s defense manufacturing work is what the company brings to the pilot: turning gallium processing technology into field-ready, modular equipment.
That work draws on SAFE Engineering — product design, R&D, prototype development, and testing and validation — and on SAFE’s lean manufacturing across its U.S. facilities. SAFE’s Critical Minerals division has outlined its broader approach: a compact, containerized recovery system designed to operate where feedstock already is, rather than requiring a large fixed processing plant. SAFE’s technical capability statements cover the company’s wider engineering and manufacturing portfolio.
Supporting the Future of American Critical Minerals
The initiative includes a planned college education and workforce development component. SAFE intends to engage colleges and higher education institutions to help develop technical training, applied learning opportunities, and career pathways in critical minerals recovery, processing, and advanced manufacturing. SAFE has also received a supporting letter from Byron Brooks, a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents.
The aim is to connect technology development with practical education, helping prepare students and future workers to manufacture, operate, and maintain domestic recovery systems. Together with the field demonstration and modular equipment development, these planned efforts are how SAFE is expanding its mission-focused engineering and manufacturing work into domestic critical minerals processing.
“We give God the glory for the doors He has opened and the people He has brought together for this initiative. … Our prayer is that this work will strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chain while creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation to learn, build, and serve.”
Learn More About SAFE Critical Minerals
SAFE Critical Minerals is the company’s division dedicated to critical mineral processing, strategic materials, and supply chain resilience for the defense industrial base. Explore the division to see the technology, the containerized recovery approach, and how SAFE is working to bring critical minerals recovery home.
