Strategic material

A strategic material is a substance the government considers essential to national defense and industrial capacity, especially in wartime. Asbestos was formally designated a strategic material by the United States during World War II and the Cold War because it was critical for shipbuilding, military vehicles, aircraft, and munitions. This designation drove massive government stockpiling, accelerated mining, and a sharp expansion of worker exposure across defense industries.

Origin

The concept emerged in U.S. policy through the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act of 1939 and was administered during World War II by the War Production Board. Asbestos appeared on federal strategic materials lists throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1970s, with stockpiles managed by agencies that became today's Defense Logistics Agency.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients, this designation is often the missing piece that explains how and why they were exposed. Workers in Navy shipyards, military bases, defense plants, power generation, and federal construction were exposed to enormous quantities of asbestos precisely because the government required its use in insulation, gaskets, brakes, and fireproofing. It also shapes legal claims: many veterans and shipyard workers were exposed under federal specifications (MIL-SPEC) that mandated asbestos-containing products, which is relevant to government-contractor defenses raised by manufacturers and to VA disability claims for service-connected asbestos disease.

Example Sentence

Because asbestos was a strategic material during his service years, the Navy required asbestos insulation in every engine room he worked in aboard destroyers from 1955 to 1962.

Related Terms

Government Contractor Defense, MIL-SPEC, Navy Shipyard Exposure, Veterans Affairs Asbestos Claim, War Production Board, Occupational Exposure

Notes

• If you or a family member served in the military, request a complete service record (DD-214 plus personnel and medical files) and any ship or duty-station histories. These documents help establish exposure to asbestos used under federal specifications.
• Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer should file a VA disability claim; mesothelioma is generally recognized as service-connected for those with qualifying military asbestos exposure.
• Preserve any documentation of federal employment, defense-contractor work, or shipyard work between roughly 1940 and 1980. Pay stubs, union records, base assignments, and job classifications can all support a claim against asbestos product manufacturers as well as VA benefits.
• Ask your legal team specifically about the government-contractor defense and how it applies (or does not apply) in your jurisdiction, because manufacturers often raise it in cases involving military-spec products.