NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The head of the Pentagon gave both warning and praise to defense companies in a Monday speech that kicked off a monthlong tour of sites across the country.
Speaking to 300 shipyard workers in an assembly facility at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented a broad-brush overview of Pentagon acquisition reforms over the last several months and put pressure on industry to do a better job of delivering weapon systems faster.
“I’ve made it crystal clear to the entire defense industry – which I didn’t come from and I didn’t work for, so I don’t give a damn who wins. I just want the best. We’ve been clear – the era of rewarding delays and cost overruns is over. The days of cost plus contracts for programs that are years behind schedule are finished,” he said. “We will… give longer, larger, more predictable contracts to companies that deliver on time and on budget, companies that invest in their people, that invest in more capability and more capacity, not companies that invest in stock buybacks or CEO salaries or more dividends.”…