Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Visits Lockheed Martin, Emphasizes Speed and Rebuilding

Visit to Lockheed Martin

• 🎯 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, referred to as Secretary of War by President Trump, visited Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.
• 🚀 The visit occurred during a record year for F-35 fighter jet deliveries, with 191 jets delivered globally in 2025.
• 🤝 Hegseth was joined by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz for a briefing and tour of the production floor.

Rebuilding the Arsenal of Freedom

• ⚡ Hegseth conveyed President Trump's urgency to rebuild the arsenal of freedom and stressed the need to build and go fast.
• ⚠️ The call to action is driven by the emergence of new peer adversaries who are building at record speed.
• 🛠️ The visit aims to encourage the best workforce in the world – engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators – to continue their work.

Incentivizing Speed and Efficiency

• 📈 The Department of Defense will now emphasize and incentivize both speed and efficiency in production.
• 💡 This focus comes after questions about the F-35 program's future a year prior, a program that supports nearly 300,000 jobs nationwide.

Discussion on Venezuela

• 🔍 Operation Absolute Resolve, where American military members captured former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, was a topic of discussion.
• 🗳️ Senator Cruz expressed hope for free and fair elections in Venezuela and the election of a democratically chosen leader who embraces freedom and free enterprise.
• 💰 Venezuela's significant oil and gold reserves were noted as enormous opportunities for business with America.