Mr. Mark Tory reports

DEFENSE METALS ANNOUNCES INCLUSION IN NEW SPROTT RARE EARTHS EX-CHINA ETF

Defense Metals Corp. has been included in the newly launched Sprott Rare Earth Ex-China ETF (REXC), the only ETF (exchange-traded fund) providing focused exposure to rare earths companies outside of China.

"We are very pleased to have met the requirements for inclusion in the new Sprott Rare Earth Ex-China ETF, representing validation of our success in advancing our Wicheeda REE project in British Columbia," commented Mark Tory, president and chief executive officer of Defense Metals. "Inclusion in this new ETF has the potential to attract additional institutional investment into Defense Metals and increase liquidity as the ETF is expected to be an important benchmark for investors focused on this critical materials segment of the market."

The Sprott Rare Earths Ex-China ETF is designed to track the performance of global companies engaged in the mining, separation, refining and production of rare earth elements while excluding companies domiciled in or primarily operating in China.

About Defense Metals Corp. and the Wicheeda rare earth element (REE) project

Defense Metals is an advanced REE exploration and development company focused on delivering strategically critical metals to Western defence, high-technology and clean energy supply chains. The company's primary asset is its 100-per-cent-owned Wicheeda rare earth element project, located near Prince George, B.C., Canada.

The Wicheeda project is one of the most advanced undeveloped rare earth deposits in North America or Europe, featuring a robust mineral resource and mining reserve, as detailed in the company's 2025 prefeasibility study (refer to the company's news release dated April 7, 2025), prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The PFS showed the economic potential of the deposit, supporting future project development.

Defense Metals is committed to advancing the Wicheeda project through the feasibility-study stage, permitting and, ultimately, into production, positioning the company to become a reliable supplier of critical rare earths that are essential to modern defence systems, advanced manufacturing and energy-efficient technologies.

The PFS for the Wicheeda rare earth element project is preliminary in nature and includes numerous assumptions regarding metallurgy, capital and operating costs, and market conditions.

Mineral reserves and the economic outcomes projected in the PFS are subject to significant uncertainties, and there is no certainty that the results of the PFS will be realized. Additional studies, including a definitive feasibility study (DFS) and permitting work, are required before a production decision can be made.

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