Hegseth Praises Bath Iron Works as ‘Arsenal of Freedom,’ Urges Speed, Unity, and Warfighting Focus

BATH, Maine — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited Bath Iron Works on Monday, delivering an energetic, wide-ranging speech to shipyard workers and urging faster production and a sharper focus on warfighting priorities as part of what he called the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour.

Hegseth opened with a quick greeting, “What a crew. How are we doing today?”, before laying out what he described as the tour’s two purposes: “I’m here to thank you for what you do, the job you do, the way you do it, and I’m here to tell you to keep going.”

He framed Bath Iron Works as central to national defense, telling workers, “What you’re building here in Bath is essential to the arsenal of freedom,” and adding, “Nobody builds it better than you guys.” Pointing to the shipyard’s reputation, he cited a sign at the entrance: “Through these gates walk the best shipbuilders in the world,” then challenged workers directly: “See, your job is to live up to that every day.”

Hegseth repeatedly emphasized urgency and speed. “Go hard and go fast and get these capabilities to the warfighter,” he said, arguing U.S. forces should never be evenly matched: “Our job is to have the backs of those warriors, to ensure that they have everything they need so they’re never in a fair fight.” Later, he distilled his approach into a refrain: “Urgency, urgency is my currency.”

He praised the workforce’s craft in building what he called “the most advanced ships in human history,” describing shipbuilding as “integral elements of ensuring peace through strength.” He described the shipyard’s work in practical terms, welding, seal checks, pressure verification, ensuring “the ladders and the hatches are in place and function”, and stressed it was all being done domestically: “All right here in the United States of America.”

Hegseth criticized what he described as previous administrations’ willingness to outsource critical work and accept slow, over-budget outcomes, declaring, “Well, under President Donald J. Trump, those days are over.” He said the department’s role was to “unleash you just as we are unleashing our warriors,” while cutting what he called institutional drag in Washington. “We have meetings to talk about meetings to talk about meetings,” he said. “It’s a headquarters on steroids.”

The crowd was enthusiastic and openly supportive of Hegseth, President Donald Trump and the administration’s agenda, breaking into chants of “USA, USA, USA” and “Trump, Trump, Trump” during the remarks.

He also delivered some of his sharpest lines on internal policy priorities, saying the department would remove programs and cultural initiatives he described as distractions. “We’re eliminating distractions and debris,” he said. “No more DEI, no more dudes and dresses. No more climate change worship, social justice, or political correctness. We’re done with all that garbage.” He added, “We’re done with our diversity is our strength. Which is the single dumbest phrase in military history,” before pivoting to his preferred message: “Your unity is your strength. Your shared purpose is your strength.”

Hegseth said the administration’s approach to combat would be decisive rather than constrained. “You get peace through deterrence, but if you must fight, you will be unleashed to fight to win,” he said, adding, “Overwhelming violence of action at the decisive moment, so the enemy knows exactly what you mean.”

He promised changes aimed at speeding procurement and tightening expectations on contractors, citing an executive order he said the president signed Jan. 7. “No more excuses, no more barriers to entry, no more monopolies, no more egregious executive bonuses, no more stock buybacks, no more ridiculous CEO salaries,” he said. “Hell, hath no fury, like Donald Trump hearing about that.”

Throughout the speech, he repeatedly tied the shipyard’s work to the safety and success of troops in uniform, calling service members “the real 1%” but stressing they depend on industrial production behind the scenes. “They can’t do their work without all of you standing behind them,” he said. “They literally can’t win the next fight without you.”

As he closed, Hegseth urged company leaders to prioritize the workforce and domestic production. “Invest in your plants and invest in your people,” he said. “Go fast, take risks, and always build in America.” He ended with the directive he had returned to throughout his remarks: “Keep going and God bless. Thank you.”