Justin Fulcher Turns Attention to Rare Earth Supply Chains
Rare-earth elements rarely make headlines outside of trade disputes, but they sit at the center of Justin Fulcher‘s current work at the intersection of defense technology and supply chain policy.
A Shift From Healthcare to Hard Minerals
Fulcher’s earlier career had little to do with mining or materials. RingMD, which he launched in 2013, gave patients across Asia a way to reach physicians in places where healthcare infrastructure had not kept up with mobile technology. He led that company for years before stepping back from daily management, though he still serves on its board and holds a minority stake.
His pivot toward government work began in early 2025, when he joined the Department of Defense as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense. That role centered on acquisition reform and technology adoption, including efforts that shortened software procurement timelines from years to months. Along the way, Fulcher’s attention moved toward a narrower but consequential problem: the supply of critical materials the defense industrial base depends on, rare-earth elements chief among them.
The subject fits naturally with his academic pursuits. Justin Fulcher completed a Master’s degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in 2023 and is now working toward a Doctorate in International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, coursework that touches directly on the geopolitics surrounding critical mineral access.
Supply chain resilience for materials like these has become a recurring concern for policymakers worried about dependence on a small number of foreign producers. Fulcher’s background in building systems that function under real-world constraints, first in telemedicine and later inside a federal procurement bureaucracy, gives him a practical lens on a problem that is often discussed in abstract policy terms. Justin Fulcher’s current work suggests he plans to keep operating at that intersection of technology, materials, and national security for the foreseeable future. Refer to this article for related information.
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