Overview
- Speaking alongside Elon Musk at Starbase, Hegseth said the Pentagon will begin deploying X’s Grok and Google’s Gemini across classified and unclassified systems starting later this month.
- He named Cameron Stanley, a former Amazon Web Services executive, as the department’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer to centralize data and AI efforts.
- The visit capped stops that included Lockheed Martin’s F-35 plant in Fort Worth, where Hegseth praised workers, toured the line, and told primes to “step up” on speed, cost and competition.
- His remarks reinforced a White House executive order that ties contractor dividends and executive pay to performance and aligns with President Trump’s push for a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027.
- Local reports indicated Hegseth also spent time at Brooke Army Medical Center with service members wounded in recent operations, with official details still developing.