JANUARY 6, 2026 – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth kicked off a multistate tour in support of the nation’s defense industrial base by paying a visit to a large group of shipyard workers in Newport News, Virginia.
Dubbed the “Arsenal of Freedom Tour,” the monthlong campaign aims to promote one of the War Department’s top priorities of rebuilding the military by engaging with the DIB at various stops throughout the country.
“On this tour, we’ll be traveling from the shipyards of the coast to the factories of the heartland to see the work being done by the military and our partners in American manufacturing, to usher in a new golden age of peace through strength — a revival of our industrial base — all-American, made by the best Americans,” Hegseth told the crowd.
He added that he believes the nation’s treasured freedoms are only as secure as the defense arsenal is strong, and that nothing is more important than securing those freedoms.
“So, I’m here to thank you — the men and women assembled here today, and those you represent — who are designing and constructing our weapons of war that my children and yours, my grandchildren and yours, will rely upon to ensure the peace, stability and security of the United States,” Hegseth said.
During his speech, the secretary cautioned against what he called decades of a bipartisan consensus that the U.S. no longer needed to focus on defense industrial might because those bipartisan politicians believed “history was over,” and therefore viewed peer competitors like China as “a relic of the past.”
“Not anymore,” Hegseth said, adding, “We recognize that we are in a new era of great power competition; a generational struggle to maintain peace through strength, and we will rise to meet that challenge.”
To do so, he said the Pentagon is working to institute a departmentwide “revival” that focuses not on speeches, policy papers, think tanks, etc., but rather on action across the entire War Department.
“We’re deploying cutting-edge technologies at a speed that’s not been seen in generations, and we’re making historic, multigenerational investments in the capabilities that we will need to dominate the future fight at a level of urgency that must match the urgency of the moment,” Hegseth explained, adding that those capabilities are getting into the hands of warfighters faster than any period since World War II.
In terms of specifics related to the DIB, Hegseth said that this new “industrial renaissance” will be one that no longer rewards delays, tolerates cost overruns, or awards contracts to programs that are years behind schedule.
Instead, he said, the coming renaissance will encourage healthy competition.
“For those who can’t adapt — who are too comfortable in the old, slow way of doing business — we wish them well in their new endeavors, because we will find new partners who will adapt, who will invest, who will take care of their people [and] who will move at speed and at scale,” Hegseth said.
As his speech wound down, Hegseth reaffirmed his appreciation for all who positively contribute to the defense of the nation.
“I want you to know that whether you’re wearing a uniform, coveralls or a suit, the work you’re doing is important; it’s patriotic and essential to our nation; it is a noble calling in a world that has forgotten what nobility looks like,” he said.
Along those lines of answering a noble call, Hegseth got to spend the earlier part of his day administering the oath of enlistment to 30 brand new military recruits at a nearby Newport News recruiting station.
“What we care about at the War Department are the real men and women who do the real work in uniform for the American people,” Hegseth told the recruits and their families, adding that less than 1% of Americans actually step up to serve in the military.
“God bless you [and] God bless your families that raised you right to give you the perspective that brought you here today.”
By Matthew Olay, Pentagon News