Secretary of War Pete Hegseth kicked off the ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ tour yesterday with a stop at Oshkosh Defense in Wisconsin. The tour is meant to highlight U.S. defense manufacturing and revitalize the defense industrial base.
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@oshkoshcorp was proud to welcome @SecWar Pete Hegseth and showcase the people, technology, and American manufacturing strength behind our mission to support the Warfighter.
See America’s Arsenal of Freedom in action: https://t.co/yuv0LUqmN9 pic.twitter.com/ujg6e50nQB
— Oshkosh Defense (@OshkoshDefense) August 24, 2026
During the visit, Secretary Hegseth saw firsthand how Oshkosh’s people, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and industrial capacity support the Department of War’s strategic priorities. With Oshkosh’s advanced tactical vehicles in action and on display, including the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires), Hegseth witnessed how the Oshkosh Corporation enterprise combines global technology solutions with defense expertise to deliver critical ground mobility capabilities for the U.S. military and allied forces.
“We came to Oshkosh because Oshkosh is a model for the other commercial manufacturers to step up when your country needs you,” said Secretary Hegseth. “From building beautiful fire trucks I had the chance to see, to the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, you are a model of delivering commercial and military capabilities to the Warfighter.”
“It’s incredible what you achieved here at Oshkosh,” continued Hegseth. “You played a role in every major conflict over the last 80 years since World War II and I’ve seen your incredible work firsthand downrange, and I know that it saved American lives, the lives of American warriors. What’s special about Oshkosh is that 90 percent of your work is for commercial civilian use. It’s great to see integrated production lines of both commercial and defense capabilities.”
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Sec. Hegseth praised the work of Oshkosh Defense and called on manufacturers to keep moving faster to revitalize America’s defense industries.
Today, Secretary Hegseth kicked off the second leg of the ARSENAL OF FREEDOM TOUR in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
We are working at RAPID PACE to ensure our warfighters have the capabilities they need on the battlefield. pic.twitter.com/AcTeJA22ZG
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) August 25, 2026
“It is great to be here with my team at Oshkosh in the great state of Wisconsin, home to 30,000 defense industrial base workers and 14,000 U.S. service members,” Hegseth said. “We don’t have the helmets without the hard hats, and we don’t have the warriors without the workers. We are all shoulder-to-shoulder in this arsenal of freedom.”
“Every single one of you. Every welder, every receptionist to the CEO is supporting American warriors every single day,” he continued, “this is not just another manufacturing job. This is patriotism in the form of steel. Past and present. Companies like this one are the backbone of the arsenal of freedom. Together, we’re going to guarantee peace through strength for generations to come, which is the point.”
Of course, the Left couldn’t let the visit go without showing up to protest. But the protesters’ enthusiasm was light on the ground, with only about 10 protesters standing on the street holding signs.
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People in Oshkosh are holding up signs ahead of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s arrival at Oshkosh Corporation. https://t.co/xmm7hfadWu pic.twitter.com/Bgl4MlfD3x
— WLUK-TV FOX 11 (@fox11news) August 24, 2026
But this is the media’s attempt to spin the narrative despite the lackluster showing. Fox11 even managed to get a statement from the WisDems chair but no statements from Wisconsin Republicans. But the fact that fewer than a dozen people showed up to protest shows that Democrats are not as popular as they think, and their base is not as energized as they hope.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America’s military.
Help us continue to report on Trump and Hegseth’s successes as they make our military great again. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
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