During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt called the United States the "Arsenal of Democracy." He wasn't reaching for poetry. He was describing the industrial capacity that made Allied victory possible. Today that lesson is overdue for a revival. As the United States confronts renewed geopolitical competition and growing economic uncertainty, national security begins with industrial strength. A nation cannot build ships and tanks without the capacity to make steel. That is why this week marks an important milestone: one year since Nippon Steel's investment in U.S. Steel brought allied capital, American workers, and industrial modernization together in support of a stronger domestic steel industry.

China now produces 60% of the world's steel. If you're not alarmed by that number, consider what steel actually builds: aircraft carriers, armored vehicles, energy pipelines, and the physical infrastructure of a functioning military. China's dominance in steel production didn't happen through innovation. It happened through sustained state subsidies that flooded global markets, suppressed prices, and left American producers in a structurally weakened position.