Washington, January 6 – The Trump administration is ramping up US naval strength through bold initiatives. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth kicked off the ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ tour, a month-long effort to showcase shipbuilding innovations, defense procurement reforms, and military power enhancements.
At Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, Hegseth announced major investments in the maritime industrial base to accelerate progress. He hailed shipyard workers and service members as the core of national security, declaring, ‘We’re in the strength business.’
The tour will visit shipyards and factories nationwide, highlighting the resurgence in American manufacturing and military readiness under President Donald Trump’s leadership. Hegseth outlined three guiding principles: America First, peace through strength, and rejecting notions of US decline.
‘Nations that stop making things fall behind and weaken,’ Hegseth stated. Trump refuses to accept this weakness, initiating a revival of America’s power and prosperity. Military enlistments are surging, with record numbers joining the armed forces already surpassing last year’s highs.
Top priorities include rebuilding the armed forces with standards, discipline, training, and lethality—embracing a ‘warrior ethos.’ The latest defense budget exceeds one trillion dollars, the largest ever, fueling cutting-edge technology and leadership.
Third, restoring deterrence so strong that adversaries dare not test America. Hegseth criticized past approaches that bred doubt in US might, pointing to recent strikes against Houthis, Iran, and drug networks as renewed deterrence examples. He highlighted the daring operation capturing Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, brought to New York without US casualties.
Under the Golden Fleet initiative, plans include a new generation of Trump-class battleships and boosted submarine production—a global signal of unchallenged US sea dominance. Defense contracting reforms end rewards for delays and overruns; contracts go to firms delivering on time and budget.
Addressing shipyard workers, Hegseth said, ‘Our warfighters can’t win without you. We’re shoulder-to-shoulder in this fight.’ Newport News, operated by Huntington Ingalls Industries, is America’s sole builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of two for Navy nuclear submarines.