Fort Wayne, IN – Today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed the 4th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit hosted by Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.). Secretary Hegseth outlined how we will rebuild America’s Arsenal of Freedom by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence. Secretary Hegseth highlighted Indiana’s critical role in revitalizing the defense industrial base to achieve this mission.
Click the image above to view Secretary Hegseth’s full address or watch it here (26:12 – 1:00:00)
Key Remarks:
Secretary Hegseth: If you’re putting America First, and the roadmap is peace through strength, the third ingredient President Trump has injected is good old fashioned Indiana common sense. Common sense is back at the White House, and it’s back at the Pentagon. Common sense means putting warfighting, lethality as the Senator mentioned, training, discipline, accountability, readiness at the forefront of everything we do at the Department of War.
Secretary Hegseth: As the President points out, and he’s right, we have the strongest, most capable, most lethal military in the world, full stop. No one can touch us. But if we’re going to maintain that, and put the best weapons, ships, and aircrafts in the hands of our men and women, we’ve got a lot of work to do here in Indiana and across the country to get things on time and at scale.
Secretary Hegseth: When I think of rebuilding the military, we think of places like NSA Crane right here in Indiana, the 3rd largest naval installation in the world. I can’t lie, the first time I met with Senator Banks, I said ‘wait, the third largest naval installation in the world is in Indiana? Okay,’ but then when you add it all up, look at the industry and look at the history, it all makes sense. Then you look at the capability of what’s produced here, Crane embodies the warrior ethos committed to unwavering dedication and readiness in the face of any challenge. Over time, it’s become a go to on drone warfare, hypersonics, and microelectronics, rapidly transitioning these innovations to the warfighter. We’re going to need more places like Crane, and we’re going to need them quickly.
Secretary Hegseth: For far too long, our department has been bogged down by burdensome and inefficient processes, paralyzed by impossible risk thresholds and requirements, and distracted by agendas that have nothing to do with warfighting. Every dollar squandered on redundancy, bureaucracy, and waste is a dollar that could be used for something meaningful.
Secretary Hegseth: The objective is rebuilding the arsenal of freedom. American industry and its innovative spirit are begging to be unleashed to solve our most complex and dangerous warfighting problems.
Secretary Hegseth: After decades of securing other people’s borders halfway across the world, we’re finally securing our own border…We’re also taking the fight on the deterrence front to the cartels. My advice to foreign terrorist organizations: Do Not Get in A Boat. If you’re trafficking drugs to poison the American People and we know you’re from a designated terrorist organization, you’re a foreign terrorist and trafficker, we will find you and we will kill you.
Secretary Hegseth: We’re reestablishing deterrence, as the Senator mentioned, in the Indo-Pacific and around the world…we are deterring China’s influence around the world.
Secretary Hegseth: We’re restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, reestablishing deterrence, and we have a President of the United States who has the backs of our warfighters.
Secretary Hegseth: In this new era for the defense industrial base, we’re going to take risks, we’re going to optimize for speed, we’re going to compete, and we’re going to scale.
Secretary Hegseth: What you have in Indiana, in the good Senator. Senator Banks is an incredible ally who we know we can call when tough decisions have to be made or he has to stand there shoulder-to-shoulder with us or help explain the reforms that we’re undertaking. It’s critical. You learn real quick in Washington who your real friends are, who will actually go to bat, and who’s core is grounded in what needs to be done in that moment to advance America First and peace through strength. Senator Banks, I want to thank you for being that ally to us at the Department of War from Day 1.
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