It is unknown whether statistics lump military uses of silver into broad categories, or if its excluded due to National Security, but no public data exists that tabulates "defense" demand. For example, the USGS 2024 Mineral Commodity Summary reports US silver use by category ~ 27% in electrical/electronics, 3% in solder, 7% in other industrial, etc. – with no line for military or aerospace specifically. This could imply defense/aerospace uses are hidden within the electronics and industrial totals, or they could be excluded all together. There is no way to verify. Notably, silver was named for a draft US critical-minerals list recently, which underscores its strategic importance. In practice, the vast silver consumption by militaries is classified or untracked. Categories like batteries or contacts are included under general industrials counts. Thus there is no "military" line in official totals, and we must rely on proxy data and inference.
Known Military Applications
Silver's unique properties (highest electrical/thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance) make it ideal for defense tech.
SILVERWARS
Batteries: Specialized silver-oxide and silver-zinc batteries power high-end military systems. A USGS report notes that silver batteries are used "in satellites and spacecraft, and in military weapons, such as missiles and torpedoes". For instance, early US spacecraft (Apollo Command Module) used silver-zinc batteries, and "the military still deploys these single-use [silver-zinc] batteries to power submarines, torpedoes and other devices". One naval example: the MU90 lightweight torpedo (used by France, Italy, Australia, etc.) runs on an aluminum-silver-oxide seawater battery. U.S. consumption of silver in batteries was about 165 tonnes in 2001 (most modern military batteries use silver), illustrating significant tonnage even decades ago.
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Electronics and contacts: Aircraft, missiles, radar and communication gear use silver-plated connectors, circuit boards and contacts for reliable conductivity. (USGS notes silver's use in contacts and conductors is roughly split between electrical and electronic applications.) Although no modern source quantifies this usage by volume, silver plating is enshrined in military/aerospace spec (e.g. QQ-S-365 standard) for components. In practice, every new fighter jet, missile, or satellite build carries grams to kilograms of silver in its wiring and contacts.
Weapons and Sensors: Some munitions explicitly incorporate silver. Beyond batteries, silver appears in precision fusing, guidance optics, and specialty alloys. For example, WWII-era nuclear calutrons needed tons of silver as electrical conductors. In the nuclear realm, a DOE report confirms that 14,700 tonnes of US Treasury silver were loaned secretly to the Manhattan Project in 1942-44 to build the electromagnetic isotope-separation coils. This extraordinary figure– over ten times annual modern global silver production– illustrates how military demand can vastly exceed peacetime usage. (By comparison, global silver consumption today is ~36,000 tonnes per year, mostly industrial and investment.)
Inferred Demand from Arms Build-ups
While direct silver tonnage is secret, global arms transfer data offer clues. Recent conflicts and rearmament programs have driven record weapons procurement:
Ukraine and Europe: SIPRI reports that 2020-24 saw Ukraine become the world's largest arms importer (8.8% of global imports), fueled by the 2022 war. About 45% of Ukraine's imports came from the U.S. Meanwhile European NATO states more than doubled their arms purchases between 2015-19 and 2020-24. The U.S. supplied roughly 64$ of these imports, including nearly 500 combat aircraft on order. Each new fighter or drone contains advanced avionics with silver contacts and solder. These surges imply a corresponding rise in silver use per aircraft, even though official stats credit that silver to "electronics."
SILVERWARS
Middle East & North Africa: The MENA region remains a top importer, in 2020-24 accounted for ~27% of world arms imports. The U.S. supplied about half of those deliveries. Major categories were combat aircraft (43% of MENA imports), naval vessels (20%) and missiles (16%). These system similarly embed silver in radios, radar, guidance electronics and power systems. (For instance, modern air-to-air missiles and ship sensors all use silver-conductive components.)
AUKUS and Virginia-Class Submarines: A major new driver is the AUKUS submarine pact between the U.S., UK, and Australia. Australia will acquire U.S. Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines in the 2030s and co-develop a new class with the UK. These submarines are technology-dense platforms, packed with silver-intensive electronics, sonar, navigation, and weapons systems, and they rely on silver-zinc and silver-oxide battery chemistries in torpedoes and backup systems. Each sub therefore consumes substantial hidden silver tonnage—not just in its hull but across its life cycle in training, sustainment, and weapons integration. With Australia planning 8–12 submarines, and the UK integrating its industry into the supply chain, the AUKUS program represents a multi-decade, multi-nation silver sink that will never appear explicitly in commodity demand statistics but that meaningfully tightens the supply-demand balance.
You failed, General. Time to Retire?
Great job screwing over future generations.
Overall, even in peacetime the industrial demand for silver was already high, (e.g. ~680 million ounces in 2024 with growth in electronics and solar) which may or may not include defense usage. When military production ramps up – due to conflict or deterrence – additional silver is consumed but hidden from public oversight. And in some cases, like when silver's used in munitions and satellites – this silver is unrecoverable when they are used for the intended purposes. No authoritative agency publishes a breakdown of "military silver demand"; instead one must infer it from technology trends and procurement data. Given known applications (batteries, plating, contacts) and the massive scale of recent arms transfers, it is reasonable to conclude defense/aerospace use is a substantial unreported portion of total silver consumption.
In short, official sources do not quantify it, but government documents and analyses make clear that defense needs likely boost silver demand well above the civilian totals, and recent arms import surges point to large-scale, if invisible, military silver usage.
Secrecy is unsustainable.
