Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth toured Bath Iron works Monday, meeting with shipbuilders and executives.
He then gave a nearly 30-minute speech to a group of workers.
Hegseth started by thanking the workers at BIW, saying his visit was part of his Arsenal of Freedom Tour, where he is visiting manufacturers in the country who work to build equipment for the U.S. military.
“I’m here to tell you to keep going. Go hard and go fast, and get these capabilities to the war fighters,” said Hegseth. “What you’re building here in Bath is essential to the arsenal of freedom, and nobody does it better than you guys,” Hegseth said to cheers and chants from BIW workers.
The secretary of defense emphasized what he said is the importance of all-American made equipment, saying the days of slow process and red tape are over. He emphasized the need for manufacturers to work quickly.
“We live in a realistic world, where made in the USA and made with urgency matters,” Hegseth said. “If you want American strength you need to have American manufacturers.”
General Dynamics operates Bath Iron Works. It employs about 6,500 people in Bath, making military ships.
While Hegseth did not announce any additional projects for BIW, he touted President Donald Trump’s goal of a $1.5 trillion National Security budget in 2027 and what it might mean for Maine.
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this, but we’re maxing out on DDGs, OK?” He said, getting cheers and applause from the audience.
A DDG ship is a guided missile destroyer like the Arleigh Burke and Zumwalt class destroyers, which have long made up the majority of BIW’s production.
According to the Department of Defense, DDGs cost an estimated $2 billion a piece. Each one takes about six years to build.
Hegseth repeatedly talked about the need for manufacturers like BIW to work quickly, indicating those who do so will receive more contracts from the Trump administration. “If you build the best, at fastest, at cost, on behalf of taxpayers, you will win,” he said.
