HII Hosts Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Newport News Shipbuilding
Rhea-AI Summary
HII (NYSE: HII) hosted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Jan. 5, 2026 at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. Hegseth toured Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine work, the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), and met shipbuilders and sailors.
HII highlighted efforts to increase shipbuilding throughput: more than 40 ships are in active construction or modernization across Ingalls and NNS; the company partnered with 23 shipyards and fabricators and international manufacturers to expand capacity; and NNS adopted a 56-hour standard work week in 2025. HII employs 44,000 workers and says recent hiring, retention, and proficiency improvements are boosting throughput.
Positive
- More than 40 ships in active construction or modernization
- Distributed shipbuilding partnerships with 23 shipyards and international manufacturers
- Adopted measures in 2025 to increase hiring, retention, and proficiency
- Workforce of 44,000 employees, largest industrial employer in VA and MS
Negative
- NNS implemented a 56-hour standard work week in 2025
- Reliance on 23 external shipyards may complicate schedule control and coordination
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
HII up 3.93% with several defense peers also higher: DRS +5.23%, AVAV +10.74%, KTOS +5.91%, WWD +3.14%, while ERJ is down 0.54%. Scanner data does not flag this as a coordinated sector move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 29 | Destroyer delivery | Positive | -1.1% | Delivery of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128) to U.S. Navy. |
| Dec 19 | Contract award | Positive | +4.3% | Selection to design and build future small surface combatant using NSC design. |
| Dec 16 | Submarine milestone | Positive | -0.7% | Pressure hull completion milestone for Virginia-class submarine Oklahoma (SSN 802). |
| Dec 11 | AUKUS engagement | Positive | +1.1% | Hosting Australian delegation tied to AUKUS and supplier qualification efforts. |
| Dec 11 | USV development | Positive | +1.1% | ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel reaching 30% completion and scheduling sea trials. |
Operational and contract-related news has more often led to aligned positive reactions, with occasional sell-the-news divergences.
Over the past few weeks, HII has reported multiple naval program milestones and contract wins. On Dec 19, it was selected to build future small surface combatants, and on Dec 29 delivered destroyer DDG 128. Earlier in December, it highlighted Virginia-class submarine progress, AUKUS-related engagement with Australia, and ROMULUS USV development. Today’s visit by the Secretary of War continues this theme of operational validation, workforce expansion, and throughput initiatives across Ingalls and Newport News Shipbuilding.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement underscores HII’s role at Newport News Shipbuilding, highlighting the Secretary of War’s visit, emphasis on shipbuilder contributions, and efforts to raise throughput. Management references more than 40 ships in construction or modernization, a 56-hour work week, and partnerships with 23 shipyards to expand capacity. In the context of recent naval contracts and submarine milestones, investors may watch execution on workforce proficiency, schedule adherence, and sustained demand from U.S. Navy programs.
Key Terms
serial-module-production technical
unmanned underwater vehicles technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) hosted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at its Newport News Shipbuilding division today. The visit is part of Hegseth’s “Arsenal of Freedom” industry tour.
During his visit to the shipyard, Hegseth met with HII and shipyard leadership and spent significant time interacting directly with shipbuilders and sailors.
“Our warfighters cannot win without you,” Hegseth told shipbuilders. “We are in this fight together, shoulder to shoulder.”
“There is an unbreakable line tying the wrench in your hand to the safety and survival of a 22-year-old American sailor patrolling the depths of the Pacific. The quality of your work, your unwavering commitment to excellence, your speed, your patriotism itself. You give our warrior the decisive edge.”
Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://hii.com/news/hii-hosts-secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-at-newport-news-shipbuilding/.
“I want to thank Secretary Hegseth for his visit today, and for reinforcing to shipbuilders directly the critical importance of the work they do for the Navy and the nation,” HII CEO and President Chris Kastner said. “Speed matters. Over the past year, in partnership with our government customers, we've taken steps to measurably increase our hiring, grow our retention, and most importantly, improve proficiency levels within our workforce. These actions are yielding a meaningful increase in shipbuilding throughput. With more than 40 ships at Ingalls and NNS in active construction or modernization, our focus in 2026 is on building on this momentum. Every improvement in our operations, every efficiency we unlock, every day we reduce from a schedule translates directly into capability the Navy can deploy to the front line of deterrence and defense, to protect American interests.”
Hegseth saw firsthand how NNS is leveraging technology and state-of-the-art facilities to execute serial-module-production for both Columbia– and Virginia-class submarines and toured these submarines in various stages of construction, from early construction to final assembly and test. He also toured construction progress and met with sailors on aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), undergoing final outfitting and testing at NNS. The ship will be the world's most lethal aircraft carrier upon delivery to the U.S. Navy.
To increase shipbuilding throughput and meet the increased demand for ships, HII recently embarked on a distributed shipbuilding initiative to improve schedule adherence by partnering with 23 shipyards and fabricators beyond the company’s traditional labor market. HII also forged partnerships with international manufacturers to explore meaningful ways to expand capacity including evaluation of adding an additional shipyard in the U.S. At NNS in 2025, shipbuilders also modified shifts to support a 56-hour standard work week in order to finish the year strong.
At 44,000 employees, HII is the largest industrial employer in Virginia and Mississippi. It is also the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy, and the world.
About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: https://www.hii.com
- HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
- HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
- HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
Contact:
Todd Corillo
Todd.T.Corillo@hii-co.com
(757) 688-3220
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e23c970-7632-45ea-b177-b0e50e5d2c98
FAQ
When did HII host Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Newport News Shipbuilding (HII)?
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