Black powder shortage reveals vulnerabilities in US military material production

The blast occurred in October 2021, causing significant damage to the plant. The explosion occurred in a production area of the mill, where the fine powder is compressed into cakes and crushed into various sizes.

The cause of the explosion was believed to be sparks generated by the equipment, which ignited the highly flammable black powder. The resulting blast caused significant damage to the mill and the surrounding area.

Hodgon, which owned the facility at the time of the explosion immediately sold it to the Estes Group as they believed that the fluctuation in demand makes Pentagon a very fickle customer.

The Estes group has been working to repair the damage and bring the plant back online. However, production has been delayed due to safety concerns and the need to upgrade the facility's equipment and infrastructure.

Estes also began producing an inert black powder substitute as a safety test before resuming production of the real thing. The restart has been delayed several times due to various issues with the equipment, but the company is optimistic about its prospects.

Black powder is a critical component of many military weapons systems, including rockets, missiles, and artillery. Without a reliable domestic source of the material, the US military has been forced to look to foreign suppliers, including China and Russia. This is a significant security risk, as it makes the military vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and potential sabotage.

Two yrs ago, a big explosion at a ramshackle gunpowder plant in Minden, LA shut down the sole domestic source of black powder, an explosive on which the Pentagon relies to make bullets, mortar shells, artillery rounds and Tomahawk missiles...
(WSJ) https://t.co/NK6PQIJs16

— Steven Ashley (@steveashleyplus) April 26, 2023

The explosion at the Minden plant has highlighted the fragility of the US military's industrial base. After the explosion, the US military, which is a major customer of black powder, was left with a significant supply gap. To address the supply gap, the Pentagon invested $3.5 million in upgrades to the mill, including a new state-of-the-art fire suppression system.

The defense industry has consolidated in recent decades, leaving fewer suppliers, and creating a situation where a disruption at one plant can have far-reaching consequences.

The Pentagon has acknowledged the problem and is working to address it. The Department of Defense has identified 27 critical chemicals that have no US production and is investing more than $207 million to bring production of these materials back to the US as soon as possible.

The Minden plant is a fifth-tier supplier, deep down the defense supply chain. The Army noticed the black powder shortage immediately, but it still took months for Estes to take over the plant and begin repairs.

The Minden mill was one of the few remaining facilities in the United States that produced black powder. It is made essentially the same way it was 200 years ago, and the old machinery poses safety risks that must be mitigated with special precautions.

The Pentagon's investment of $3.5 million in mill upgrades after the recent shutdown is part of an effort by the Biden administration to strengthen the industrial base. It is working with suppliers to address similar weaknesses in munitions, forging and casting, batteries, and microelectronics.

The US military is heavily dependent on a complex network of suppliers, and the explosion at the Minden plant has highlighted the need for greater resilience and redundancy in the defense industrial base. While the repair and reopening of the plant are ongoing, it will take time for the US military to regain its domestic source of black powder.