US launches new economic diplomacy taskforce to champion American AI and critical minerals

 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who convened the inaugural EDAG meeting.
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — In a major bid to unify Washington's economic statecraft, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has convened the inaugural meeting of the newly established Economic Diplomacy Action Group (EDAG).

The high-level committee, which brings together leaders from across the federal government, has been designed to streamline and coordinate support for American commercial interests abroad, boost domestic employment, and attract foreign investment.

Chaired by the Secretary of State, with the Secretary of Commerce and the US Trade Representative serving as vice-chairs, the EDAG will leverage the full financial and developmental weight of the federal government. Its primary focus is to shape overseas market conditions to give American businesses a competitive edge.

The group’s strategic roadmap will place a heavy emphasis on securing US global leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) and securing vulnerable supply chains for critical minerals.

Directly aligning with Washington’s flagship "Pax Silica" initiative—the State Department’s blueprint for constructing trusted, secure technology supply chains—the EDAG will actively work to implement Executive Order 14320. This directive focuses on exporting the American AI technology stack by deploying federal financing tools to back major US export bids.

The creation of the EDAG was originally authorised under the Championing American Business through Diplomacy Act of 2019. Its launch marks a highly coordinated, "whole-of-government" approach to international trade and technology competition.

Reflecting the scale of the initiative, the debut meeting on 15 July 2026 saw attendance from a broad coalition of departments and agencies. High-level representatives gathered from the Departments of State, Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, Treasury, and War, alongside the US Trade Representative and the National Security Council.

Key financial and developmental institutions were also heavily represented, including the US International Development Finance Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Trade and Development Agency, the Small Business Administration, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.