Pete Hegseth is a former U.S. Army National Guard officer and television commentator who, since January 25, 2025, has served as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump. In September 2025, Trump authorized the use of the historic titles “Secretary of War” and “Department of War” as secondary names for the office and department, so Hegseth now commonly uses the title Secretary of War while performing the same top‑civilian role leading the U.S. military and overall defense policy.
The “defense industrial base” (often shortened to DIB) is the large network of companies, shipyards, factories, research labs, and related facilities that design, produce, and maintain military equipment and services for the U.S. government—everything from ships, aircraft, and missiles to electronics, software, and logistics support. It includes both private‑sector firms and some government‑owned facilities that supply the Department of War/Defense with the materials, technology, and services needed for national defense.
Publicly available information so far says the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour is a nationwide, month‑long tour beginning with shipyards and a recruiting station in Newport News, Virginia, but it does not yet list all the specific states or stops. The Newport News event is the only confirmed stop named in official and derivative reports at this time.
According to Hegseth’s remarks and the tour announcement, the tour’s main goals are to: (1) rally and “revitalize” the U.S. defense industrial base by highlighting shipyards, factories, and workers across the country; (2) promote a faster, more competitive system for developing and producing weapons—emphasizing cutting‑edge technology, reduced delays, and fewer cost overruns; and (3) support military recruiting and public backing for a long‑term buildup of U.S. military strength (“peace through strength”).
The workers Hegseth addressed in Newport News are civilian shipyard workers at Newport News Shipbuilding, a major private shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, owned by HII (formerly Huntington Ingalls Industries). It is the only U.S. yard that builds nuclear‑powered aircraft carriers and one of two that build nuclear‑powered submarines, making its workforce a key part of the U.S. defense industrial base.
The current “Department of War” is essentially the U.S. Department of Defense operating under an additional historic name. In September 2025, President Trump signed an executive order allowing the Department of Defense and its leaders to use the secondary titles “Department of War” and “Secretary of War.” The department’s mission remains to provide the military forces needed to deter war and protect U.S. security, and it continues to oversee all branches of the armed forces and work with other defense organizations (like the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commands) just as the Department of Defense did before the renaming option.
In the short term, visits like Hegseth’s can draw attention to local shipyards, factories, and recruiting stations, which may help sustain or grow contracts and hiring if they signal long‑term federal investment. More broadly, the tour is tied to a stated policy of expanding and speeding up defense production, which—if followed by actual contracts and funding—could mean more stable or increased jobs and business for local defense contractors and their surrounding communities. However, the specific job or contract impacts at each stop have not yet been detailed publicly.
