OSHKOSH, Wis. - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is visiting Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Monday, Aug. 24, touring the Oshkosh Corporation Global Headquarters.
The tour is part of his "Arsenal of Freedom" tour, where he will tour production facilities, meet with Oshkosh leadership, and "experience the combat-proven vehicles Oshkosh provides to U.S. forces and allies worldwide."
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"Every single one of you, every welder, every receptionist to the CEO is supporting American warriors every single day," said Defense Secretary Hegseth. "This is not just another manufacturing job. This is patriotism in the form of steel, past and present. It's incredible what you've accomplished here in Oshkosh. This company has played a role in every major conflict of the last 80 years, since World War two, and I've seen your incredible work firsthand downrange. And I know that it saves American lives, the lives of American warriors."
The other side:
In response to Sec. Hegseth’s planned visit to Wisconsin as a part of his "Arsenal of Freedom" tour on Monday, WisDems Chair Devin Remiker released the following statement:
"Pete Hegseth and Wisconsin Republicans like Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden, and Bryan Steil are so desperate to do damage control for jacking up the cost of living with their wildly unpopular tariffs and endless war-of-choice in Iran that they have now stooped to parading around Hegseth to sell them on a failed economic agenda. Wisconsinites see through Republicans’ slimy sales pitch and are tired of footing the bill for foreign wars and tariffs that have crushed our businesses, farmers, and manufacturers."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Editor's note: President Trump signed an executive order in Fall 2025 allowing DoD to use "Department of War" as a secondary title. But a formal name change requires an act of Congress, which at this point has not occurred. Unless and until Congress passes legislation switching the name, [FOX6] will continue to call it the Department of Defense. This also applies to Sec. Hegseth's title.
The Source: FOX6 received a press release regarding the event and sent crews to cover it.