The “Department of War” is the U.S. federal department that oversees the armed forces and military policy. Historically, the War Department ran the Army from 1789 to 1947, when it was reorganized into today’s Department of Defense (DoD). Current public materials on war.gov describe the modern Department of War in essentially the same terms long used for the DoD—“America’s largest government agency” whose mission is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure national security—indicating it is the present-day successor/renaming of the defense establishment rather than a separate organization from the DoD.
Yes. Pete Hegseth is described in current U.S. government and military media as the 29th Secretary of War, sworn in on January 25, 2025, which makes “Secretary of War” an active Cabinet‑level post in this context. As with the former historical Secretary of War, the modern office is the civilian head of the Department of War and is responsible for overall leadership of the U.S. military establishment—setting defense policy, overseeing budgets, force structure, modernization and major weapons programs, and advising the President on military matters (roles similar to those long associated with the Secretary of Defense).
Pete Hegseth is a U.S. political figure, former Army National Guard infantry officer, and media personality who now serves as the 29th Secretary of War. According to his official Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) biography, he was sworn in as Secretary of War on January 25, 2025. He graduated from Princeton University in 2003, was commissioned in the Army National Guard, and deployed on active duty to Guantánamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Before entering this office he was best known as a Fox News host and commentator and as a veterans’ advocacy figure. As Secretary of War he is the senior civilian leader of the Department of War and a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s largest defense contractors, a U.S. aerospace and security company that designs and builds fighter jets (such as the F‑35), missiles, helicopters, satellites and other major weapons systems for the U.S. and allied militaries. Its Fort Worth, Texas, facility is a major production and support hub for combat aircraft. Because of its size and central role in U.S. weapons programs, it regularly hosts meetings with senior defense officials and other industry leaders to discuss ongoing programs, future requirements, industrial capacity, and technology development that shape U.S. defense procurement and strategy.
According to the text of the advisory as reproduced from the government email bulletin, the Secretary’s remarks from Fort Worth will be livestreamed on three sets of official channels: the Department of War’s main website (war.gov), the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) webcast platform, and the Department of War’s official social‑media accounts. The advisory gives the approximate time (about 1:15 p.m. Central on Monday, Jan. 12) but does not list a specific URL; viewers are expected to go to war.gov or the DVIDS “webcasts” section at that time or follow Department of War social feeds.
The Fort Worth advisory itself does not specify policy subjects, only noting that Secretary Hegseth will address “defense industry leaders” at Lockheed Martin. Based on his ongoing nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour and recent official remarks at other defense‑industry sites, he has been focusing on themes such as: strengthening U.S. weapons production and supply chains, accelerating acquisition of cutting‑edge technologies (including space, missiles and autonomous systems), increasing military “lethality,” and closer integration of private‑sector innovation with war‑fighting needs. Those themes are likely, but not explicitly confirmed, for the Fort Worth event.
Yes. When senior defense officials meet with defense contractors, a web of federal ethics and procurement rules applies:
• Ethics/conflict‑of‑interest statutes and regulations (18 U.S.C. §§ 201–209; 5 C.F.R. part 2635) bar officials from participating in matters affecting their own financial interests, restrict gifts, and require impartiality. • The Procurement Integrity Act (41 U.S.C. § 2101–2107) limits disclosure of source‑selection and bid information and restricts certain employment discussions with contractors during procurements. • DoD (and thus Department of War) regulations require recusal where an official or immediate family has ties to a contractor, and impose post‑employment “cooling‑off” periods before many senior officials may work for or represent major defense contractors. These rules do not forbid meetings with industry, but are meant to reduce undue influence and financial conflicts when policy or contract decisions are involved.