Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told employees of Lockheed Martin on Monday that it's time to "step up" at a visit of the company's jet production plant in Fort Worth, Texas.
"We're changing the game to incentivize speed, to incentivize efficiency, competition, open architecture, at cost, ensuring that big companies, like this one, and small ones can compete," Hegseth said.
Hegseth visited Lockheed Martin as part of his Arsenal of Freedom Tour.
"It's not just the door kickers and the guys dropping bombs," Hegseth said.
"It's not just the intel analysts and the mechanics all wearing camouflage that are critically important to our nation," he added.
"It is all of you and the thousands of people that you represent, who have dedicated your lives to precision, to skill, to work in a hard hat, to deliver capabilities for the warfighter," Hegseth continued.
He also visited SpaceX alongside founder Elon Musk and administered the oath of enlistment to American warfighters.
"For too long, Pentagon bureaucracy has hindered the speed and might of the nation's manufacturing base, obstructing innovation and warfare solutions from companies such as SpaceX and Lockheed Martin," the Department of War said in a release.
"We ultimately don't care what the name is on the side of the missile, or the plane, or of anything that's made at the War Department," Hegseth said.
"We just want the best, and our expectation is that every company competes, and every company competes on a level playing field," Hegseth added.
The Pentagon said Hegseth and President Donald Trump are committed to unleashing the full power of the defense industrial base to advance the government's Peace Through Strength agenda.
"The president had put out an executive order just a couple of days ago about how big defense contractors in this country need to step up," Hegseth said. "And he's right.
"I think, and I know, and I believe that Lockheed will step up," he said.
Hegseth's Arsenal of Freedom tour is intended to fuel a revival of the defense industrial base, ensuring it can supply the U.S. military with technologically superior products at the speed of relevance, the Pentagon said.
"We've got to go fast. The warfighters need it. They deserve it," Hegseth said.
"We've got new peer adversaries that are building at record speed," he added. "[This] Arsenal of Freedom tour is meant to speak to you and your peers, and to tell you to keep going."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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