U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth says at Ohio industry stop Pentagon will be run ‘like a business, not a bureaucracy’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon would be run “like a business, not a bureaucracy,” as he called for faster defense production, greater competition among contractors and preparation for warfare in emerging domains.

Hegseth made the remarks to employees at Sierra Nevada Corporation in Dayton, Ohio, during a stop on the Pentagon’s “Arsenal of Freedom” tour on October 20.

“Whoever controls subsea and cislunar is going to control the next fight,” Hegseth said, referring to warfare beneath the oceans and in the region of space between Earth and the Moon.

He also said the Pentagon was moving away from an acquisition culture in which established relationships and lobbyists could help companies secure contracts. “Those days of legacy connections and lobbyists building contract connections because they knew the guy who used to run that department are fundamentally over,” he said.

Hegseth said the U.S. needed to maintain control of its own defense capabilities rather than depend on other countries. “I will not mortgage the future of my kids and grandkids hoping that some other country or some other leader takes charge of our defenses,” he said.

He also referred to a visit to U.S. Central Command immediately before the Ohio stop, saying he had met pilots, aerial refueling crews and maintainers involved in operations related to Iran.

“They are out there on the front lines, doing historic work in ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said.