General Paul J. Kern Joins USA Rare Earth Board of Directors
SIERRA BLANCA, March 19, 2020 - Texas Mineral Resources Corp. (OTCQB: TMRC):· Decorated Officer Served as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command
· Currently a Member of the DoD Defense Science Board
Texas Mineral Resources Corp. (TMRC), an exploration company targeting the heavy rare earths and a variety of other high-value elements and industrial minerals, is pleased to announce that General Paul J. Kern, US Army (Ret.) has joined the USA Rare Earth LLC, Board of Directors. USA Rare Earth is the funding and development partner of TMRC’s Round Top Heavy Rare Earth and Critical Minerals Project in West Texas.
General Kern had a distinguished career in the US Army spanning nearly 40 years. He rose to the position of the Commanding General, Army Materiel Command (AMC), where he commanded more than 50,000 personnel and was responsible for worldwide supply and maintenance support for the Department of Defense, as well as research for ground and rotary wing equipment.
“I am extremely pleased to join the Board of USA Rare Earth,” said General Kern. “Supply chain security is one of the most urgent issues facing our nation, especially for key critical materials required both for defense applications and high-tech manufacturing. It is imperative that the United States and its allies create a rare earth supply chain – from mine to magnet – that is independent of China. Given the abundant resources of the Round Top deposit in West Texas, supported by its processing facility in Colorado and strong existing infrastructure, I see this project as a viable and near-term solution to address this issue, and I will be working with the team at USA Rare Earth to that objective.”
“We are honored that General Kern has joined our Board,” said Pini Althaus, Chief Executive Officer of USA Rare Earth. “General Kern has a unique career which blends technical expertise, combat operations, program management, policy development, and advice to senior political leaders.
“General Kern is well-versed in the issues facing the United States and its allies as they develop a critical materials supply chain independent of China. He understands the essential need for the U.S. to build and sustain advanced manufacturing capabilities to support economic and manufacturing competitiveness and military strength. I look forward to working with General Kern to achieve our objectives both with the United States Government as well as the private sector,” added Mr. Althaus.
General Kern is a member of the Defense Science Board, established by federal law in 1956, which provides independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisitions process and policies, and other matters of interest to the Department of Defense.
Throughout his career, General Kern won respect for his efforts to direct supply chain improvements, maintain field readiness and modernize weapons systems throughout the army. His career blends technical expertise, combat operations, program management, policy development, and advice to senior political leaders. Prior to being Commanding General, General Kern served four years as the Department of the Army Military Deputy for Research, Development and Acquisition. As Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division, Mechanized, he was responsible for developing organization, tactics, techniques, and equipment implementation that modernized today’s networked force. He served as Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense in 1993 to 1996. General Kern began his career commanding operational units in the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam and subsequently led the 2d Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division in Iraq in 1991.
General Kern is a Senior Counselor with The Cohen Group (TCG) and Chairman of the board of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). He is a member of the Boards of Management of By Light Professional Services LLC, Trijicon, and CoVant Management, and the Advisory Boards of TenCate Advanced Armor and LinQuest Corporation.
Since retiring from the Army in 2005, General Kern has held the Class of 1950 Chair for Advanced Technology at West Point, served as President and Chief Operating Officer of AM General and was a Vice President for Battelle. He has also served as a member of the Boards of Director of Anteon, EDO, ITT, Exelis, and iRobot Corporation.
General Kern graduated from West Point in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds Masters’ Degrees in Civil and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006. He was a National Security Fellow at the J.F. Kennedy School, Harvard University.
USA Rare Earth, together with its partner Texas Mineral Resources Corp. (OTCQB: TMRC), participated in both the Cornerstone U.S. Industrial Base Resiliency and Assurance initiative of the Army and FA 8650-19-S-5010 CALL 005 request by the Air Force.
In the past three years, the Round Top Project and TMRC has been part of teams selected for two U.S. Government grants, one from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the other from the Department of Energy (DoE). Round Top’s successful demonstration project for the DoD (via the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency) (BAA-DLASM-2015-01) focused on the ultra-high purity processing of specific high-value rare earths extracted from Round Top rock, which are included in the new “critical minerals” list published by the Department of the Interior.
About Texas Mineral Resources Corp.
Texas Mineral Resources Corp.'s primary focus is developing its Round Top heavy rare earth and industrial minerals project located in Hudspeth County, Texas, 85 miles east of El Paso. Additionally, the Company plans on developing alternative sources of strategic minerals through the processing of coal waste and other related materials. The Company’s common stock trades on the OTCQB U.S. tier under the symbol “TMRC.”
Company Contact:
Texas Mineral Resources Corp.
Anthony Marchese, Chairman
E-mail: amarchese@tmrcorp.com
