CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Secretary of War Pete Hegesth heralded the Trump administration’s push to “make space great again” Monday in a whirlwind day up and down Florida’s Space Coast as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour that he said, with the help of NASA, the Space Force, and aeronautical giants like the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin.

Hegseth leaned into promoting the American worker as the key to dominance in the “ultimate high ground” of space:

WATCH: @SecWar with the key takeaway from his Arsenal of Freedom tour stop at Florida’s Space Coast (which @NewsBusters had rare access)…
“[I]f we unleash the American worker and American industry, we will outcompete. We will out-innovate…We will unleash American space… pic.twitter.com/4ZR2Z19ybH
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 3, 2026

Hegseth’s day – which NewsBusters received rare access as part of the press pool – culminated in an address to a chilly but energized crowd of employees at Blue Origin’s Rocket Factory on Merritt Island.

Right off the top, Hegseth made clear that the work of Blue Origin – which is building the next generation of rockets and capsules to send America back to the moon and Mars – are the embodiment of America’s “arsenal of freedom”:

.@SecWar to Blue Origin workers with @JeffBezos in the crowd:
“[W]hat you’re building here at Merritt Island is a core function of the arsenal of freedom. You see, the arsenal isn’t just about door kickers or guys dropping precision bombs although we like those guys very much.… pic.twitter.com/Q5DIdhWx76
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 2, 2026

He said the Trump administration will “make space great again” thanks to the “precision, skill, and hard work” at Blue Origin “delivering capabilities to the war fighter” that they need:

.@SecWar at Blue Origin Rocket Factory: “[W]e’re going to make space great again. That sign is our motto. Because all of you have dedicated your lives to precision, skill, and hard work in hard hats. Different kind of hats than the helmets soldiers wear, but the same kind of… pic.twitter.com/4b09h34CYW
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 2, 2026

Tying into Bezos’s opening remarks that emphasized the work of Blue Origin puts America First by erasing our dependance on foreign nations like Russia for reaching space, Hegseth praised the focus on American manufacturing (and previewed what they will do to help bring forth the Golden Dome):

As the son and nephew of two women who run a small manufacturing business, this is absolutely spot on from @SecWar….
“We live in a realistic world where American strength has to partner with American manufacturing, and if you don’t have both, you don’t have a free country. And… pic.twitter.com/BbNEAGNFab
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 2, 2026
All of this, he said, is being highlighted to demand “industry…move fast, at scale, at cost to outcompete our adversaries, to rebuild our arsenal of freedom” and send “a massive message to the rest of the world that American strength is not going anywhere anytime soon” despite a Pentagon that “exist[s] to move paper” and hold “meetings…to talk about other meetings.”

Hegseth also had some fun with the crowd when he said the Trump administration doesn’t “care” who delivers to warfighters so long as we win (click “expand”):

So, in conjunction with our efforts from the Space Force, we will continue to ensure peace through strength with our private partners who are critical. Companies like Blue Origin, companies like SpaceX and others who are critical to ensuring that we dominate space. We welcome those partners and we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in these critical efforts. You see, we don’t care — you care – but we don’t care what company name is printed on the side of a rocket. You should care. I know you hope it says Blue Origin. We don’t care what company name appears on, you know, ladders on planes or what company name is painted on a satellite. We just want the best. And we don’t care how many lobbyists or accountants you have, if you create the best, the fastest on behalf of taxpayers and warfighters, you’re going to win. And that’s what President Trump’s War Department expects, and I’m hopeful, and based on what I saw today, Blue Origin’s going to do plenty of winning. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] And that’s a great thing. That’s a great thing for your company. That’s a great thing for you, but most importantly, that’s a great thing for our country. That’s what we need. That’s what my kids and grandkids need. They need men and women like you dedicated to your craft. That’s what the trigger pullers need, the pilots need, the surface warfare officers need, the medics need all those guys and gals wearing camouflage need you. They need Blue Origin. They need space dominance.

Hegseth arrived at the Blue Origin Rocket Factory where he was greeted by Bezos himself:

.@SecWar greeted by @JeffBezos at @BlueOrigin headquarters as part of his Arsneal of Freedom tour pic.twitter.com/b0kvPJXEtc
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 2, 2026

The speech capped off a series of events for Hegseth, which began with a swearing-in ceremony at the Valiant Air Command, Inc. Warbird Museum for 50 new American soldiers and nine recruits for the Florida National Guard.

Hegesth emphasized the importance of making every effort to add an oath of enlistment to new recruits at every stop on the Arsenal of Freedom Tour:

Look in the eyes of the young Americans who have made the choice to be a part of the real one percent, to be a part of the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen, to do something most of their peers would never, ever do. And I want those cameras in the back to capture the fact that from the highest levels of our country, from the President to the Secretary of War and across, we recognize and appreciate and salute what you do because we think, we believe it’s the highest calling you can do in serving our republic.

“We are in the 250th year of our great republic because men and women stood up to defend it,” he added. “To be here with you this morning is an honor for me because my job is to serve you. Our job at the Office of the Secretary of War, at the Pentagon – echelons above reality – our job is to serve all of you.”

From there, we convoyed to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where he was greeted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who was confirmed by the Senate less than two months ago on December 18.

Hegseth was then taken to NASA’s Launch Pad 39B, the sight of….Artemis II, a lunar mission set to launch later this month on a 10-day mission to orbit both the Earth and the moon, sending humans to the darkside of the moon, the farthest mankind has ever gone in space and closest mankind has been to the moon since the final Apollo mission in December 1972.

As part of the delegation, the press pool became the closest journalists have been to a yet-to-be-launched manned rocket ship.

And, prior to Blue Origin, he visited the Shuttle Landing Facility (with a self-explanatory famous history) and, with Isaacman as his pilot, took a thrill ride aboard one of two F-5 fighter jets Isaacman owns and had wrapped in a special America 250 livery.

CAPE CANAVERAL — @SecWar flies with NASA Administrator @rookisaacman in a special #America250 livery over the Space Coast pic.twitter.com/ChneWS1Nfj
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 2, 2026

“I’ll say that he’s a pro…This guy is going to make NASA great again. That much I know,” he said of Isaacman upon climbing out. On X following his Blue Origin speech, he added “I’ll fly with you any day!”

Speaking moments later to reporters, he said that America “is hellbent, dead set on asserting American dominance…not just on par, but dominance with NASA, with SpaceX, with Blue Origin, the best of the best – to unleash that.”

After his flight with @rookisaacman on one of Isaacman’s F5’s over Florida’s Space Coast, @SecWar briefly stopped to chat with reporters, telling us America “is hellbent, dead set on asserting American dominance…not just on par, but dominance with NASA, with SpaceX, with Blue… pic.twitter.com/p9KaV3yAT6
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 3, 2026
“That’s what the Arsenal of Freedom Tour is about – is finding out what these folks need in order to go faster, and be better at what they do,” he concluded.