Hegseth touts military strength at Arkansas rocket motor facility - thv11.com

EAST CAMDEN, Ark. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was in Arkansas on Friday to take a tour of the L3Harris facility east of Camden and to speak to over 1,500 employees.

The facility is a site that stays busy, producing solid rocket motors for the U.S. Military on over 2,000 acres of land.

However, even by their standards, Friday was an exciting day.

“The amount of energy that was at this event was just something we haven't seen before,” said Jim Watson, Senior Site Director for the Camden facility.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders was also in attendance to tout President Trump’s agenda and praised him for "ending wars across the world" and "capturing the evil dictator of Venezuela" during his second term in office.

"I think we'll take a couple of strong words and mean tweets if it means world peace,” Gov. Sanders said.

She also told the crowd of employees how central the weapons they create are to the President’s agenda.

“Having spent a little time with the President,” Sanders said. “I can tell you he wants more, he wants faster, and he wants even bigger than we could have ever dreamed. L3Harris is a huge part of that mission.”

She wasn’t alone, as U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) took a break from his re-election campaign to attend and praise the workers.

“To give you the tools, the technology, and the resources you need to make even better weapons and make them faster,” Cotton said of his goals. “To get them into the hands of our troops on the front lines of freedom.”

But the moment many were waiting for came later, when L3Harris CEO Chris Kubasik introduced the main speaker, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth spoke for over twenty minutes, where he emphasized the importance of the employees’ work.

“On behalf of the War Department, we are here to say thank you,” Hegseth said. “Thank you for being the backbone of our department and our great nation, and for having the backs of our war fighters, because what you build right here in Camden is absolutely central to the 21st century arsenal of freedom.”

Hegseth claimed that past administrations and “so-called experts” abandoned American manufacturing, but that he and President Trump feel the opposite.

“Those so-called experts in academia, and the scribblers at the Wall Street Journal, proclaimed outsourcing is the future,” Hegseth said. “Let them tell that to these great workers and these great patriots here at L3.”

Hegseth added that the team at L3Harris in Camden has been doing a great job, and he complimented them for their speed and efficiency.

Yet, he also added that he wants them, and every other similar company in the United States, to continue to improve.

“Our message to every company in America, large and small, is go fast and take risks today,” Hegseth said. “The President demands that you invest in facilities just like the one here in Camden, or the one General Dynamics is building across town, also in Camden. The war fighters need you to build, and they need it yesterday.”

Watson said it was a day he and his employees will never forget.

“The people that were inside that tent, and how happy they were,” Watson said. “Their efforts, their dedication, and hard work is the reason those dignitaries were here, and we couldn't be more proud of that.”

The Camden L3Harris facility is currently in the process of expanding, adding 20 new buildings across 110 acres of space.