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Hegseth touts Arkansas missile industry in speech at arms factory expansion site

EAST CAMDEN — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Arkansas’ munitions industry Friday during the final stop on his Arsenal of Freedom speaking tour at the L3Harris arms manufacturing campus.

Speaking before hundreds of L3Harris employees, Hegseth called the workers “patriots” and said the U.S. military “must unleash our warfighters with the lethal tools only you can build.”

“You are the proof that the promise of globalism is a lie,” Hegseth said. “Each day you prove that when this nation unleashes industry, when we at last unleash the raw, competitive and patriotic spirit, the United States of America always wins.”

South Arkansas is a hub of defense contracting, and L3Harris produces more than 115,000 rocket motors per year on its 2,000-acre campus. Last year, the company announced a $500 million expansion of its facility, creating 20 new buildings and 50 new jobs. Hegseth gave his speech near the site of the planned expansion.

Aerospace and defense manufacturing is Arkansas’ top export category, according to the state Economic Development Commission, with more than $950 million worth of goods exported in 2024.

The Camden area is also home to a $33 million missile plant, a joint venture that Raytheon Technologies and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems began in October 2023 to support Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is based in Israel.

Hegseth expressed support for Trump’s January announcement that the United States’ defense budget for fiscal year 2027 should be a record $1.5 trillion.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, all Republicans, introduced Hegseth before his speech.

Jim Watson, L3Harris’ senior director of the Camden campus, told reporters he was grateful for the visit from Hegseth and elected officials. He also said he was proud of the 1,500 site employees’ work for the U.S. military.

“They understand the mission, and our mission is always to support the warfighter,” Watson said.

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