On February 9, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited Electric Boat at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, as part of his nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, a call to action to rapidly revitalize the American defense industrial base.
In addition to GDEB, Hegseth’s Rhode Island stops included Anduril and the Seabees Museum before he and his entourage continued to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., General Dynamics and Electric Boat senior leadership welcomed the Secretary and provided an executive overview. Secretary Hegseth then toured the Columbia missile tube and automated frame and cylinder fixtures and was briefed on the processes. His tour continued to the 9-Series Outfitting Building where he toured Virginia-class outfitting, featuring the last module for the lead Virginia Payload Module (VPM) submarine, SSN 803 Arizona.
“This visit was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share our incredible achievements with the most senior person at the Pentagon,” said Charles Montalbano, VP of EB’s Quonset Point facility. “The Secretary of War also personally thanked our shipbuilders for the role we play in our nation’s security.”
The tour continued with the Columbia-class outfitting lane. In Bay 6 of the 9-Series Building, Hegseth was greeted by 3,000 enthusiastic Quonset Point shipbuilders and 40 submarine crew members.
Hegseth addressed the group, reinforcing the message that our national security and the peace of the world move at the speed of our Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and rely on the hard work of our American workforce.
“I want to thank all of you for what you do,” said Hegseth. “All of you are contributing to the warfighter. It’s always inspiring to stand among patriots who are building our nation’s firepower.”
In his remarks, he highlighted the three pillars of his mission:
- Reviving the warrior ethos to create the most lethal fighting force on the planet
- Rebuilding the military so our warfighters are never in a fair fight
- Re-establish deterrence
Hegseth signed a steel plaque that will be mounted on the Bay 6 door of the 9-Series Building. The words he transcribed, “keep going,” are a reminder of how crucial EB submarines are for our Navy and nation.
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