The Trump team is supercharging US sea power as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initiates the Arsenal of Freedom tour, starting January 6 in Washington. Expect game-changing reforms in shipbuilding, acquisitions, and force multiplication.
At Virginia’s Newport News Shipyard, Hegseth pledged robust funding for the maritime base to speed capabilities. Honoring staff and troops as security linchpins, he affirmed, ‘We’re building strength.’
This month-long journey through industrial sites will flaunt American industrial and defense renaissance under Trump. Foundations: Elevate America First, secure peace through might, deny decline.
Hegseth cautioned: Production halts spell national vulnerability. Trump counters with empowerment and affluence restoration. Military sign-ups shatter records, accelerating past prior peaks.
Priorities: Rekindle military with ethos of warriors, emphasizing lethality, training, discipline, standards. Historic trillion-dollar defense spend ignites tech and leadership advances.
Crucial: Deterrence so potent adversaries balk. Hegseth rebuked old strategies fostering doubt in US power; recent triumphs over Houthis, Iran, traffickers, and Maduro raid in Venezuela—with zero US casualties—signal resolve.
Golden Fleet heralds new Trump-class battleships, expanded subs: Oceanic dominance unchallenged. Contracting shakeup: No more payoffs for overruns; efficiency reigns.
To the workforce: ‘Warfighters need you—we’re in lockstep.’ Huntington Ingalls’ Newport News excels in nuclear carriers, co-builds Navy subs.