Spartan Metals Corp. (TSXV: W | OTCQB: SPRMF) has commenced its maiden drilling program at the 100% owned Eagle Tungsten-Silver-Rubidium Project in Nevada. The program puts drills into the ground as the United States moves from encouraging secure defense supply chains to imposing more demanding sourcing requirements. In a recent InvestorNews interview, Spartan President, CEO and Director Brett Marsh said that shift has increased the importance of identifying reliable sources much further upstream.President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14415 on July 20, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, the order sharply limits waivers that have permitted defense contractors to acquire covered materials from designated non-allied nations. Where a waiver remains available, contractors will generally need an accepted mitigation plan identifying the non-compliant source, documenting efforts to obtain compliant material and setting a firm timetable for removing that source from the supply chain. “It moved from what used to be guidance and a general preference for contractors to obtain domestic sources to almost forcing them to develop domestic sources,” Marsh told InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes.The underlying statute, 10 U.S.C. 4872, specifically covers tungsten metal powder, tungsten heavy alloy and finished or semi-finished components containing that alloy. Executive Order 14415 goes further by directing the U.S. Department of War to require critical supply chains to be mapped through every tier, from raw materials to the finished products delivered to the department. “The government still does not understand how far back it needs to go in the supply chain,” Marsh said. Spartan occupies the earliest stage of that chain by exploring mineralization that could potentially become a traceable U.S. source.Traceability remains a difficult practical problem. Hughes noted that earlier attempts to follow minerals such as cobalt from mine to market have required substantial capital without necessarily producing reliable, widely adopted systems. Marsh expects more advanced digital tools to play a role and sees the sourcing and storage framework surrounding Project Vault as part of the broader effort, although he acknowledged that the necessary systems have not yet gained meaningful momentum. Project Vault is a public-private strategic reserve backed by a US$10 billion Export-Import Bank of the United States loan and nearly US$2 billion in private capital, but it is not by itself a complete mine-to-product traceability system.Against that policy backdrop, Spartan announced earlier today (August 24th) that up to 3,000 meters of diamond core drilling was underway at Eagle, approximately 120 kilometers northeast of Ely in White Pine County. The program is fully funded from working capital raised earlier in 2026. It will test the Southeast Tungsten Anomaly and its skarn potential, the tungsten-silver-rubidium vein system defined through recent surface exploration, and additional targets identified by induced polarization geophysics. The immediate objective is to assess the depth, continuity and geometry of the mineralization, with initial assay results expected as they become available later this year.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer