America’s Been Looking in the Wrong Place—A $150 Trillion Asset Could Be the Real Answer, Says Former CIA Advisor Jim Rickards

A Quietly Controlled Resource May Hold the Key to Rebuilding U.S. Power From the Inside Out

/EIN News/ -- WASHINGTON, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From global trade wars to technology races and energy dependence, the U.S. has poured decades of effort into reacting to threats abroad.

But according to former CIA advisor Jim Rickards, the country may have overlooked the one strategic asset that could’ve reshaped everything — and it’s not a policy, a program, or a pipeline.

“It’s not overseas. It’s under us,” Rickards says. “And it may be the one thing that still gives America an edge — if we choose to use it.”

A POWER SOURCE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Rickards is referring to the vast mineral reserves locked beneath federally controlled U.S. land — copper, lithium, silver, and rare earths — resources vital to power grids, AI infrastructure, and military-grade technologies.

“It’s strategic leverage that other nations would kill for,” he says. “And we’ve let it sit untouched.”

While the materials are known and documented, Rickards says the nation has never treated them as part of its active strategy — despite market-based estimates valuing the full reserve at up to $150 trillion.

A SHIFT IN THE LEGAL TIDE

Rickards believes the 2024 Supreme Court ruling overturning the Chevron Doctrine may provide the legal momentum needed to revisit restrictive agency policies and finally reconsider how public resources are managed.

“The agencies don’t have the last word anymore,” Rickards says. “That changes the equation.”

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

With growing instability in foreign resource markets and rising demand for energy independence, Rickards argues that this may be one of the last moments to act on a legacy that’s remained untouched for generations.

“It’s not buried treasure,” he says. “It’s a strategic insurance policy. And the clock is ticking on whether we ever use it.”

About Jim Rickards

Jim Rickards is a lawyer, economist, and former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. He has been a leading voice on financial warfare, economic risk, and intelligence strategy for over four decades. His books include Currency Wars, Aftermath, and The Death of Money.

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