Issued on Behalf of Ares Strategic Mining Inc.

America’s only permitted producer. 100% import dependent. The government just secured the supply chain before the market repriced the stock.

The market hasn’t priced this in yet.

Ares Strategic Mining (CSE: ARS | OTC: ARSMF) just secured a $168.9 million DoD Contract Award from the Defense Logistics Agency. Five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity agreement. Ceiling up to $250 million.

The product? Acid-grade fluorspar.

A Strategic National Stockpile mineral[1] the U.S. imports 100% of.[2]

Until now.

Ares is the Sole-Source Supplier. The only domestic producer. The Pentagon needed a secure domestic supply chain and they picked this company. Not a joint venture. Not a diversified contract.

One domestic supplier. Just one.

Here’s the glitch.

The company’s market cap is roughly equal to this single contract. That means the market is valuing the business as if this Guaranteed Revenue from the Department of Defense is worth nothing beyond today.

The DoD just de-risked this trade. with a $169M deal that adds to Ares’ overall story, with zero dilution.

The contract is binding. The customer pays. The mineral is critical to defense manufacturing, semiconductors, and battery production.

The setup is asymmetric.

THE STRATEGIC NECESSITY

The Pentagon didn’t have a backup option.

China controls over 60% of global fluorspar production[3]. They’re tightening exports. China Export Restrictions are accelerating because they need every ton for their own military and EV buildout.[4]

The U.S. has been Import Dependent for decades.

Zero domestic production. Zero alternative suppliers. Zero margin for error.

That’s a national security problem the DoD can’t ignore.

Fluorspar isn’t optional. It’s on the U.S. Critical Mineral List[5] for a reason.

Without it, you can’t build:

• F-35 fighter jets (missile guidance systems)
• EV batteries (lithium-ion electrolytes)
• Semiconductors (etching and cleaning)
• Steel and aluminum (flux agent in manufacturing)
• Refrigerants and pharmaceuticals (fluorochemical production)

Every advanced economy runs on this mineral.

When China restricts supply, the U.S. military can’t simply “find another vendor.” The Defense Logistics Agency needed Supply Chain Resilience. They needed a domestic source under U.S. jurisdiction.

They found one.

THE MOAT

Ares didn’t get this contract because they submitted the best bid.

They got it because they’re the only company in America that can deliver.

The Lost Sheep Mine in Utah is Fully Permitted. Mining plan approved by the Bureau of Land Management. Environmental clearances in place. Infrastructure under construction.

No other company has that.

Permits take years. Sometimes decades. You need geological surveys, environmental impact studies, state and federal approvals, water rights, community support, and political alignment.

Ares already cleared those hurdles.

A competitor can’t just open a mine next door. The permitting process alone would take five to seven years minimum. By then, Ares will have locked in multi-year supply agreements and expanded capacity.

This is a National Security Asset with regulatory protection baked in.

The Pentagon didn’t pick Ares out of convenience. They picked them because the alternative was staying dependent on foreign adversaries.

The deal is exclusive by necessity.

THE TECH BONUS

Here’s where it gets interesting.

The Lost Sheep Mine doesn’t just produce fluorspar. It also contains Gallium and Germanium.

Two of the rarest tech metals on Earth.

Gallium[6] is critical for:

• AI chip substrates
• 5G infrastructure
• Military radar systems
• LED and laser technology

Germanium[7] is essential for:

• Fiber optics
• Infrared night vision
• Satellite electronics
• Advanced Semiconductor Supply Chain applications

China controls 94% of global Gallium Production[8]. They’ve already restricted exports twice in the last 18 months.

The DoD knows this.

The DoD Contract Details cover fluorspar. That’s the $168.9 million.

But the Gallium and Germanium? That’s sitting in the same ore body. Same processing facility. Same extraction timeline.

The government is funding the infrastructure.

Investors get the tech metals as a bonus.

This isn’t speculation. The geological reports confirm commercial-grade concentrations of both elements. When production ramps, Ares will be producing materials the Semiconductor Supply Chain is desperate to source domestically.

The Pentagon paid for the meal. The dessert is free.

INSTITUTIONAL VALIDATION

Smart money is already positioned.

Sorbie Bornholm, a UK institutional fund, recently increased their stake[9]^,[10]. They don’t buy lottery tickets. They buy asymmetric setups with government backing.

The State of Utah invested $11 million into Ares[11]. State governments don’t gamble. They invest when jobs, revenue, and strategic value align.

And now… the Department of Defense just committed $168.9 million in Non-Dilutive Capital. No share dilution. No equity giveaway. Pure revenue locked in.

Three institutions. Three different mandates. All betting the same direction.

The re-pricing has begun.

THE CLOSE

The U.S. government just validated a company trading at the value of a single contract.

A five-year DoD agreement. A sole-source monopoly on a critical defense mineral. A bonus tech metal portfolio tied to AI and semiconductors. Institutional Support from the State of Utah and UK funds.

The setup is rare.

The timing is now.

Click Here to Read the Full DoD Contract Release and Company Details →

The news is out. The institutions are in. The question is whether retail catches up before the gap closes.

Where to Learn More

Company Website: https://www.aresmining.com

Investor Contact: jwalker@aresmining.com

Stock Symbols: CSE: ARS | OTC: ARSMF | FRA: N8I1

Current Price: $0.49 USD (Jan 16, 2026)

Market Cap: $108M USD (Jan 16, 2026)

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[1] https://www.dla.mil/Strategic-Materials/

[2] https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-fluorspar.pdf

[3] https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/fluorspar-the-quiet-achiever-of-the-lithium-ion-battery-boom

[4] https://www.csis.org/analysis/china-imposes-its-most-stringent-critical-minerals-export-restrictions-yet-amidst

[5] https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals

[6] https://www.rfglobalnet.com/doc/how-the-defense-industry-is-using-gan-technology-0001

[7] https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/germanium-statistics-and-information

[8] https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-gallium.pdf

[9] https://www.aresmining.com/post/ares-strategic-mining-announces-increase-in-institutional-investment

[10] https://www.aresmining.com/post/ares-strategic-mining-secures-increased-non-dilutive-cash-injection-to-support-development

[11] https://www.aresmining.com/post/ares-strategic-mining-secures-major-state-funding-of-11-000-000-usd-to-accelerate-production-ramp-u