War Secretary Pete Hegseth Demands Defense Contractors ‘Step Up’ in Critical Military Production Push

By Sam Barron | Monday, 12 January 2026 10:33 PM EST

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told employees at Lockheed Martin’s jet production facility in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday that it’s time to “step up” efforts to accelerate military production.

“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’s visit was part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. During the trip, he also administered the oath of enlistment to American warfighters at SpaceX alongside founder Elon Musk.

The Department of War stated that Pentagon bureaucracy has long hindered the speed and might of the nation’s manufacturing base, obstructing innovation in defense solutions from companies like Lockheed Martin and SpaceX.

“We’ve got new peer adversaries that are building at record speed,” Hegseth added. “This Arsenal of Freedom tour is meant to speak to you and your peers, and to tell you to keep going.”

The Pentagon described the tour as 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.

“We’ve got to go fast. The warfighters need it. They deserve it,” Hegseth said.