Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Iron ore is mined and used to make pig iron which is used to make steel.
Thanks - that is what I thought. (Iron ore mines in N. Minnesota were shut down a long time ago I think).
So even though based on the other thread, our steel production is still fairly high, but we have to import much of the raw materials to make it. Not the best situation if we have a protracted war and our enemy can embargo us.
Although I suppose if our enemy was that great, the war would have gone nuclear before it got to that point.
But then, it sure would be nice to have raw materials to rebuild with.