"US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth highlighted the importance of boosting arms and weapons production to counter the 'record speed' of 'new adversaries' on Monday as he spoke during the nationwide 'Arsenal of Freedom' tour at a Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas. "We've got to rebuild that arsenal of freedom. We've got to go fast. The warfighters need it. They deserve it. We've got new adversaries that are building at record speed. We have to," he stressed. Hegseth added that the government was changing the defence industry's incentive structure and creating a level playing field for manufacturers to increase supply. Last week, President Donald Trump announced a 'historic' 1.5 trillion USD (1.28 trillion EUR) military budget for 2027, 50 percent higher than this year's 901 billion USD (772.3 billion EUR) budget. "We're going to spend every dime of that wisely. We're going to find every savings that we can in the couch cushions to make sure we're squeezing everything possible into the best capabilities in the world," the US Secretary of War remarked. Hegseth cited the military's recent operations involving Iran, crackdowns on 'narco terrorists' on the high seas, and the capture of Venezuela's now former president, Nicolas Maduro, as proof of the US army's unmatched capabilities. "There haven't been many boats sunk recently because we can't find boats to sink because no one wants to get into a narco boat, which is the whole point," the secretary noted, underscoring, "Peace through strength. Deterrence in action." Hegseth's 'Arsenal of Freedom' tour, launched in January 2026, aims to accelerate weapons production and modernise the defence industrial base by visiting major manufacturing facilities across the country."