Senior Manager - Metallization Operations

U.S. Army competitively selects Vulcan Elements to supply high-performance rare earth magnets for SkyFoundry drone initiative. Sep 23, 2026, 08:30 ET Award recognizes Vulcan's proven domestic rare earth magnet manufacturing capability DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Vulcan Elements, an American rare earth magnet manufacturer, today announced its competitive selection by the U.S. Army to supply high-performance Neodymium Iron Boron magnets for the Army's SkyFoundry drone initiative. SkyFoundry is the Army's vertically-integrated effort to produce small drones that aims to produce one million drones per year in the United States, at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania. Vulcan was competitively selected after providing data sheets that matched the high-performance specifications required by the Army. A key requirement of the solicitation was "a fully domestic, vertically integrated manufacturing process." The Army also required multiple evaluations of Vulcan's capability and past performance by current customers. "Rare earth magnets are foundational to the military capabilities that we need to defend our country, including drones. Vulcan is working every day to bring this vital capability back to American soil," said John Maslin, CEO of Vulcan Elements. "As small drone systems become even more critical on the modern battlefield, we're committed to ensuring that our military can manufacture them without having to ask for permission. This isn't just a manufacturing challenge; it's a national security imperative." Vulcan has developed a proven solution to one of the country's most critical economic vulnerabilities, and to its knowledge is the world's only rare earth magnet company that is decoupled from China - down to the material, technology, software, IP, and ownership. Vulcan's magnets will enable the Army's production of brushless direct current motors - the primary engine powering the Army's small drone capabilities. The award is Vulcan's 10th Department of War contract to date, spanning multiple administrations and every branch of the U.S. military, across some of its highest priority programs. This award highlights Vulcan's demonstrated ability to manufacture high-performance magnets for both defense and commercial customers. Vulcan Elements' Benson, North Carolina, manufacturing facility currently under construction will be the cornerstone of a domestic rare earth magnet supply chain and the largest rare earth magnet factory outside of China. The 1.1 million-square-foot facility will have an annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons of magnet production and will supply magnets for critical defense systems, semiconductor fabrication, robotics, drones, AI infrastructure, automobiles, and other strategic technologies and sectors of the American economy. The project will create approximately 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States while reshoring an essential capability that has been controlled and weaponized by America's competitors for decades. About Vulcan Elements Vulcan Elements is an American rare earth magnet manufacturer driven by a core mission: to rebuild a secure, resilient rare earth magnet supply chain for America and its allies, and enable the technologies that will define the 21st century. Vulcan's world-class engineering, scientific rigor, and uncompromising work ethic are onshoring a fundamental capability to the United States and setting a new standard for advanced rare earth magnet production. The company partners across the public and private sectors to advance economic competitiveness, revitalize the industrial workforce, and strengthen national security. SOURCE Vulcan Elements

Dems probe Trump Jr.'s firm while their prosecutor stonewalls Congress. House Dems target Trump Jr.'s venture firm while a Democrat DA blocks oversight into illegal alien plea deals House Judiciary Committee Democrats are demanding records from Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm while a Democrat prosecutor in Virginia obstructs the same committee's investigation into his office allegedly giving illegal aliens softer deals than American defendants - a split screen that tells you everything about who Washington holds accountable and who it shields. The contrast isn't subtle. Ranking member Jamie Raskin fired off a letter to Trump Jr. and 1789 Capital founders Omeed Malik and Christopher Buskirk demanding investment records and communications with government officials by September 9, according to The Guardian. Raskin called the firm's growth - from $150 million in assets under management to a reported $3.5 billion by May - a "miraculous transformation" and said it is "impossible to believe" the success came from anything other than "insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption." 1789 Capital counsel AJ Merton called the allegations "unsubstantiated talking points" and said repackaging press clippings on congressional letterhead "is a hallmark of partisan stunts and politically motivated harassment, not oversight." Raskin, in the minority, lacks subpoena power without Republican cooperation. Raskin's letter points to 1789 Capital's investment in Vulcan Elements, a rare earth company, and notes the Pentagon later announced a $620 million direct loan to the firm while the Commerce Department provided a $50 million grant under the Chips and Science Act - legislation signed by Joe Biden. Trump himself told CNBC in July that his children have "inside information" because his policies touch nearly every part of the economy. Follow the money: 40 percent of 1789 Capital's assets came from foreign investors, according to SEC filings reviewed by The Guardian and CNN. That deserves scrutiny - and the public interest in whether access to the presidency is being monetized is real. But so is the investigation Democrats are obstructing on the other side of the same committee. Chairman Jim Jordan and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock have been trying since January to get documents from Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano over allegations his office offers preferential plea deals to illegal alien defendants. Descano has refused, claiming Congress has no oversight over his office - an argument Jordan and McClintock rejected this week, citing Supreme Court precedent affirming broad congressional oversight powers, Breitbart reported. The stakes are not abstract. Descano testified in May after the murder of Stephanie Minter, allegedly stabbed to death at a bus stop by Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien from Sierra Leone with more than 30 prior arrests. Descano's office had repeatedly dropped charges against Jalloh. "This is something I will never get to experience again because of the failures of our justice system," Minter's mother Cheryl said. So here is the two-tiered system in plain view: Democrats on the Judiciary Committee chase venture capital returns they find politically suspicious, armed with letterhead and press clippings but no subpoena power. Meanwhile, a Democrat prosecutor accused of going easy on illegal aliens with dozens of prior arrests - until an American mother is dead - tells the same committee it has no right to see his records. One investigation targets a president's son. The other shields a system that failed a dead citizen. The question isn't whether 1789 Capital deserves scrutiny. It's whether Washington only investigates the people it opposes and protects the people it needs.

Don Jr.'s string of lucrative investments with 'almost clairvoyant accuracy' triggers new congressional probe. 2 hours ago Donald Trump Jr. has found himself at the center of a new congressional investigation into a string of remarkably lucrative investments made by his venture capital firm since his father returned to the White House. Discover more Consulting Legal Experts Subscribing To News Following Political News The investigation seeks to determine whether the unusual pattern of investments and subsequent government actions that benefited those companies warrants a closer look. House Democrats want to know whether 1789 Capital is simply extraordinarily good at picking winners, or whether being closely connected to the Trump administration has given the firm an advantage other investors don't have. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is demanding answers from 1789 Capital, the venture capital firm Trump Jr. joined shortly after Donald Trump returned to the presidency. In a letter obtained by MS NOW, Raskin points to a series of investments he says were made with "almost clairvoyant accuracy." Discover more Following Political News Sourcing Government Grants The timing of some of those bets, he argues, is difficult to ignore. When Trump Jr. joined 1789 Capital, the firm was reportedly worth only a few million dollars. It is now estimated to be worth roughly $3 billion. That's a staggering jump - and Raskin wants to know exactly how it happened. The $620 million Vulcan windfall One investment in particular is drawing scrutiny: Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth magnet producer. 1789 Capital bought an undisclosed stake in the company in 2025. About three months later, the Pentagon announced a $620 million loan to Vulcan. The timing was remarkable. Bloomberg valued the two-year-old startup at roughly $200 million around the time 1789 Capital invested. After news of the government deal broke, Vulcan's estimated value soared to nearly $2 billion. Raskin called it an "amazing turn of events" that the Trump administration decided to put more than half a billion dollars into what was then an unproven startup. Discover more Subscribing To Newspapers Studying Journalism Courses Exploring Conservative Media Trump Jr. has denied having inside information. He previously told The New York Times that he and 1789 Capital president Omeed Malik simply made a reasonable assumption that Vulcan would succeed. "It's not like it takes a genius to figure this out," Trump Jr. said. Perhaps not. But Raskin isn't convinced the timing can simply be waved away. Then there's Juul Vulcan isn't the only investment attracting attention. Raskin is also seeking information about 1789 Capital's investments in Juul, Polymarket and defense contractor Anduril Industries. Reuters reported that 1789 invested in e-cigarette company Juul in March 2025. Later, the Food and Drug Administration reversed a ban involving certain e-cigarette products. Once again, the question is whether 1789 was simply making smart bets - or whether the firm had unusually good insight into where federal policy was heading. Raskin sees a pattern. "With Don Jr.'s new leadership role, 1789 Capital has developed an uncanny ability to identify companies that are about to receive massive influxes of cash from the Trump Administration or to benefit from significant changes in federal policies and regulations," he wrote. "They say there is no such thing as a sure thing in investing, but this is about as close as you can get." Democrats want the receipts Raskin isn't just asking for explanations. He's demanding records. His letter seeks communications involving 1789 Capital and federal officials, elected representatives and other government figures, along with a complete list of the firm's investments. The purpose is to determine whether Trump's return to power created investment opportunities that 1789 Capital was uniquely positioned to exploit. Raskin went even further, arguing that it is "impossible to believe that your firm's astonishing growth and success are due to anything other than insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption." That's a serious accusation. Trump Jr.'s firm calls it political harassment 1789 Capital isn't taking the allegations quietly. AJ Merton, counsel for the firm, dismissed Raskin's claims as "unsubstantiated talking points." "Repackaging press clippings on congressional letterhead does not turn news headlines into evidence," Merton told MS NOW, calling the investigation a partisan stunt and politically motivated harassment. Trump Jr. has likewise denied having inside information about the investments. So far, Republicans in Congress have resisted Democratic efforts to subpoena Trump Jr. over the firm's investments. But that could change dramatically depending on the outcome of November's elections. A $3 billion question The investigation comes at an awkward time for the Trump family. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has made major financial and regulatory decisions affecting industries in which Trump's allies and associates have invested. At the same time, Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm has gone from reportedly being worth only a few million dollars to an estimated $3 billion. That doesn't prove wrongdoing. But it does raise a question that isn't going away: How did Trump Jr.'s firm manage to repeatedly position itself so close to major government decisions - and profit so handsomely when those decisions arrived? Raskin believes the timing is too extraordinary to ignore. If Democrats regain control of the House after the November elections, they could have substantially more power to obtain the records and testimony they are currently seeking. The biggest question surrounding 1789 Capital isn't whether its investments were profitable. It's whether someone knew where the government was heading before everyone else did.