Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Visits Wisconsin to Promote Oshkosh Corp.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, shakes hands with Oshkosh Corp. CEO John Pfeifer at an event in Oshkosh, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2026. Joe Schulz/WPR

In the midst of an armed conflict in the Middle East, the nation’s top defense official visited the Fox Valley on Monday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to Oshkosh Corp. workers and executives from a hangar at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. Hegseth spoke in front of military vehicles built by Oshkosh Defense, a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corp.

It was part of what the administration is calling the nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, highlighting domestic defense manufacturing.

In the Fox Valley, Hegseth spoke about the importance of American defense manufacturing. He said companies like Oshkosh Corp. were essential to the country’s national security.

“Keep doing your part right here on the factory floor,” Hegseth told the workers. “We’ll do our part at the Pentagon to keep cutting red tape, allowing you to run as fast as possible.”

While many of his remarks focused on defense manufacturing, Hegseth did use his visit to praise Republican allies, including those in Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation, while criticizing previous Democratic administrations.

The defense secretary also advocated for the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request, the largest in history. He said it would help fund military equipment that uses state-of-the-art technologies, while helping give companies like Oshkosh Defense “stable, clear and consistent demand signals.”

“Our adversaries are not sitting idly by — they’re moving fast,” he said. “They’re developing and delivering new capabilities at a rate that should be sobering for every single American.”

But Hegseth also didn’t shy away from cultural issues during his remarks, saying he was working to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, from the Department of Defense.

At one point he used a disparaging term for transgender people before saying, “It means colorblind, gender neutral, merit-based, back to basics across the board — no matter if you’re carrying a rifle or you’re working on the plant floor.”

The Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military is subject to a legal challenge.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to a crowd of Oshkosh Corp. workers inside a hangar at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2026. Joe Schulz/WPR

Oshkosh Defense is one of four primary defense contractors based in Wisconsin, though there are hundreds more who work either directly or indirectly for the defense industry, according to the nonprofit Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. The other three include Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Leonardo DRS and Fairbanks Morse Defense.

In 2023, the state ranked 30th nationally in defense contracts, according to WMC.

In statements, Oshkosh Corp. leaders largely described Hegseth’s visit as an affirmation of the company’s work.

During the event, Oshkosh Corp. CEO John Pfeifer said the company is committed to building what the nation’s warfighters need to “be productive and safe on the job.” He said the company stands ready to continue doing so for years to come.

“To us as a company and to all of our team members, the ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ means we take American Innovation, backed by American industrial might — powered by American workers — and we make happen what is supposed to be, in many cases, impossible,” he said. “It helps people, and it absolutely saves lives.”

A crowd of Oshkosh Corp. employees stands in an airplane hangar at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., waiting for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks. Joe Schulz/WPR

Although the company celebrated the visit, a small group of protesters gathered across the street from the airport earlier in the day.

The visit comes nearly six months into the war with Iran, which has contributed to a surge in gas prices across the country, and just months ahead of the midterm elections.

Wisconsin Democrats argued the stop was an attempt to shift attention away from the Iran war and rising prices.

The war in Iran has been broadly unpopular nationally and in Wisconsin.

A July Marquette Law School poll showed 71 percent of Wisconsin voters say the war isn’t worth the cost.

In a statement, WisDems chair Devin Remiker said Hegseth was trying to “sell” the public on the Trump administration’s “endless war-of-choice.”

“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,” Remiker said.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, told reporters that he felt the visit was appropriate.

Grothman, whose district includes Oshkosh, said it was Hegseth’s first time in Wisconsin and “part of his job is to make the rounds.”

Grothman also alluded to Oshkosh Corp. losing a contract for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, saying the deal went to an out-of-state company that’s “not doing things on a timely basis.”

“I think he wants to come here and see what’s going on,” Grothman said. “I’m certainly going to be meeting with some of his deputies when I get back to Washington.”

But Grothman also expressed skepticism about the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request, saying it was “just too much, unless the president is very aggressive in cutting spending in other places.”

While Hegseth has made headlines for his push against DEI, John Hall, a military history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said domestic defense manufacturing is “a more traditional and necessary investment of the secretary’s time.”

He said via email that national security experts have “long recognized a need” to overhaul the nation’s production and procurement.

“That (Hegseth) is doing this during active operations against Iran is not surprising as that campaign has highlighted critical shortfalls in important munitions and capabilities,” Hall said. “The root problem he is trying to solve is a generational one — but also an immediate one.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits Oshkosh to promote defense manufacturing was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.