US Secretary of Defense Presses Lockheed Martin to Speed Up Weapons Production

FORT WORTH — U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pressed Lockheed Martin and other defense companies Monday to speed up weapons production to better equip American warfighters.

Standing before an F-35 fighter jet on the factory floor of Lockheed Martin, Hegseth told several hundred employees and dignitaries the Trump administration will overhaul business as usual and slash bureaucracy.

“We ultimately don’t care what the name is on the side of a missile or plane,” Hegseth said in a roughly 15-minute speech. “We just want the best, and our expectation is that every company competes.”

The Arsenal of Freedom Tour

Hegseth’s visit was part of his so-called Arsenal of Freedom tour, which the Pentagon said is intended to “fuel a revival” of the nation’s industrial defense sector. In addition to Lockheed Martin, the secretary was also scheduled to speak to SpaceX workers alongside CEO Elon Musk in South Texas. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both Republicans, and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker joined Hegseth at Lockheed.

The tour comes days after President Donald Trump said he was ramping up pressure on weapons makers, who he criticized for slow production. He signed an executive order placing new restrictions on executive pay and stock buybacks at defense companies that do not maintain adequate production, have not made capital investments or are deemed “underperforming.”

Trump’s Defense Policy

Since his election, Trump has sought to reshape the military and country’s defense. Last year, he signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.” This month, he called for increasing military spending by 50%, to $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times.”

Hegseth said the changes are meant to revive a “warrior ethos” in the U.S. and that he is confident Lockheed Martin would succeed under the heightened expectations, noting the company delivered a record 191 F-35s in 2025.

“We’re changing the game to incentivize speed, to incentivize efficiency, competition, open architecture, at cost,” he said. “I think, and I know, and I believe Lockheed will step up.”

The F-35 Program

Lockheed Martin builds the F-35 fighter jet for the U.S. and nearly 20 foreign allies at its sprawling Fort Worth campus. The program has an estimated annual economic impact of $72 billion and provides more than 250,000 advanced manufacturing jobs, according to the company. In the Fort Worth area, the program supports more than 49,000 direct and indirect jobs and $9.4 billion in annual economic impact.

Still, the fighter jet has faced plenty of challenges. In 2025, the Pentagon cut its request for F-35s to Congress to 24 from 48. SpaceX’s Musk, tasked with slashing government costs early in Trump’s administration, called for ending the F-35 program, which he described as “the worst military value for money in history” and said “manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones.”

The U.S. Government Accountability Office says the F-35 “plays a crucial role” in the Department of Defense’s “ability to meet current and future U.S. national security goals,” but at the same time, production costs have risen as the U.S. military plans to use the jet less.

In a statement this month, Lockheed said F-35 production is running at a pace five times faster than any other allied fighter currently in production. In recent months, the jets were used to suppress Iran’s air defenses while the U.S. sought to strike the country’s nuclear sites and eliminated Russian drones over Poland, Lockheed said.

Conclusion

Blasting a “bloated bureaucracy,” Hegseth said Lockheed’s success will come down its workers, one-fifth of whom are veterans.

“Go fast. Take risks. Be ambitious. Invest your capital up front,” he said, “and know there will be a demand from the Department of War to keep you running.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about the US Secretary of Defense’s visit to Lockheed Martin:

Q: What was the purpose of the US Secretary of Defense’s visit to Lockheed Martin?

A: The purpose of the visit was to press Lockheed Martin and other defense companies to speed up weapons production to better equip American warfighters.

Q: What is the Arsenal of Freedom tour?

A: The Arsenal of Freedom tour is a tour by the US Secretary of Defense to fuel a revival of the nation’s industrial defense sector.

Q: What is the F-35 program?

A: The F-35 program is a program by Lockheed Martin to build the F-35 fighter jet for the U.S. and nearly 20 foreign allies.

Q: What are the challenges faced by the F-35 program?

A: The F-35 program has faced plenty of challenges, including production costs rising as the U.S. military plans to use the jet less.