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U.S. President Donald Trump wants to transform the United States into a mining power, but the country may not have enough people to make that happen—at least not yet.

Since his return to office, the U.S. leader has pushed an all-out effort to slash Washington’s dependence on China for critical minerals, the 60 or so raw materials that U.S. agencies have deemed essential to U.S. economic and national security. At home, the Trump administration has secured equity stakes in a raft of companies, launched a $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, and pushed to expand mining. Abroad, it has pursued a flurry of partnerships and pitched a global minerals trading bloc to dozens of countries in its bid to boost U.S. supply chain security.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to transform the United States into a mining power, but the country may not have enough people to make that happen—at least not yet.

Since his return to office, the U.S. leader has pushed an all-out effort to slash Washington’s dependence on China for critical minerals, the 60 or so raw materials that U.S. agencies have deemed essential to U.S. economic and national security. At home, the Trump administration has secured equity stakes in a raft of companies, launched a $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, and pushed to expand mining. Abroad, it has pursued a flurry of partnerships and pitched a global minerals trading bloc to dozens of countries in its bid to boost U.S. supply chain security.

Yet Trump’s big push has also raised questions about whether the United States has the skilled workforce to realize his mineral ambitions. No matter how eager the U.S. leader is to herald a mining renaissance, industry experts warn that challenging labor realities could complicate that plan. 

“There........

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