On Monday, Oshkosh Corporation hosted Pete Hegseth to show the Secretary of Defense how the defense contractor's employees, advanced manufacturing capabilities and industrial capacity support the Department of Defense's strategic priorities.
Hegseth visited the facility in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as part of the administration's nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. During the visit, Oshkosh’s advanced tactical vehicles were in action and on display, including the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires).
According to the company, Hegseth witnessed how Oshkosh combines global technology solutions with defense expertise to deliver critical ground mobility capabilities for the U.S. military and allied forces.
“We came to Oshkosh because Oshkosh is a model for the other commercial manufacturers to step up when your country needs you,” said Secretary Hegseth. Hegseth called the defense contractor a "model of delivering commercial and military capabilities to the warfighter."
“It’s incredible what you achieved here at Oshkosh,” Hegseth added. “You played a role in every major conflict over the last 80 years since World War II, and I’ve seen your incredible work firsthand downrange, and I know that it saved American lives, the lives of American warriors."
Hegseth said Oshkosh was special because some 90 percent of the company's work is for commercial civilian use and the company has integrated production lines of both commercial and defense capabilities.
Since receiving the original JLTV contract in 2015, Oshkosh Defense has manufactured more than 25,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the U.S. Armed Forces and allied partners worldwide.
Supported by a mature supply chain of more than 300 suppliers and proven production processes, the Oshkosh JLTV program demonstrates the American industrial base's ability to deliver proven capability at scale.
Late last year, Oshkosh Defense announced plans to cut some 160 workers following a $52.8 million dip in sales. The move resulted from overstaffing after Oshkosh lost the bid for a JLTV Phase 2 contract with the U.S. military in 2023. Competitor AM General was awarded a five-year, $8.7 billion deal in February 2023 to take over production.
“Secretary Hegseth’s visit underscores the critical role American industry plays in strengthening our nation’s Arsenal of Freedom,” said John Pfeifer, president and CEO, Oshkosh Corporation. “Oshkosh Defense is backed by the scale, innovation and manufacturing strength of our global commercial enterprise, giving Oshkosh the capacity and agility to respond quickly as the needs of the warfighter evolve."
Oshkosh continues to advance ground mobility capabilities to meet the demands of the modern battlefield, integrating technologies such as autonomy and modular open systems architectures into proven platforms.
