Hegseth Visits Rocket Lab On 'Arsenal Of Freedom' Tour

Last Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) headquarters as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, celebrating a major shift in how the Pentagon views the private space sector. 

During the visit, Hegseth — who dubs himself the “Secretary of War” — positioned Rocket Lab as a cornerstone of the nation's modern defense industrial base.

The former Fox News co-host emphasized that the future theater of battle will be won or lost in orbit.

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Securing the High Ground

Hegseth spoke to a group of about 200 Rocket Lab employees about the shift in the Pentagon’s procurement strategy.  He called Rocket Lab the foundation of the nation's "defense industrial base" and the key to gaining "high ground" on the future theater of battle, according to the Long Beach Post.  

The Secretary's most striking comments focused on the geopolitical weight of the company’s work. 

"You are the engine of the new arsenal of freedom" for the U.S. to "project its will anywhere, anytime without question," Hegseth said.

The visit highlighted the Pentagon's move to integrate agile, commercially-driven aerospace companies directly into the heart of U.S. defense infrastructure.

A Major Defense Player

In December, Rocket Lab secured a massive $816 million Pentagon contract to produce 18 satellites designed to detect and track the most modern threats. 

The company has evolved into a sophisticated defense prime contractor and is now competing directly with the legacy defense primes like Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT), RTX Corp. (NYSE:RTX) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC). 

Hegseth's visit serves as a validation of the Pentagon increasingly looking toward vertically integrated, fast-moving companies to outpace global adversaries.

CEO Peter Beck said Rocket Lab is up to the challenge in a post on social media. 

"Building at speed and at scale is what we do at Rocket Lab. Great to have @SecWar come visit and see," Beck said. 

Photo: Mason Lawrence from Shutterstock