Congressman Fong Joins Secretary of War for Arsenal of Freedom Tour in California

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Last week, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) joined Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on his nationwide "Arsenal of Freedom" Industry Tour, underscoring America's renewed commitment to strengthening the defense industrial base to give our Armed Forces the capabilities they need to succeed.

Congressman Fong and Secretary Hegseth met with industry leaders advancing defense innovation and toured two of California's cutting-edge defense companies, Castelion and Rocket Lab. During the visits, they saw firsthand the next-generation military systems being developed to keep our military ahead of the curve and engaged with the workers supporting America's superior aerospace and space-based defense capabilities.

The California stop marked a major space-focused segment of the Arsenal of Freedom Tour, showcasing the important role our region's test ranges play in increasing collaboration between military installations and private-sector innovators to meet evolving national security threats.

"It was an honor to join Secretary Hegseth during his visit to California and highlight the critical role California, and specifically our community in the Central Valley, plays in defending America," said Congressman Fong (CA-20). "As we empower the defense innovation ecosystem and enable more collaboration between the military and commercial industry, the bases and test ranges in California's 20th District will become increasingly critical to our national security. From NAWS China Lake to Edwards Air Force Base to the Mojave Air and Space Port, our community directly supports the defense industrial base we visited this weekend, turning their cutting-edge technologies into real-world capabilities for our warfighters. The Central Valley is a cornerstone of America's arsenal of freedom; in Congress, I will continue fighting to ensure we have the tools and resources to advance peace through strength, deter our adversaries, and keep our country safe."

From military and civilian test flights to rocket propulsion, our region is home to our nation's premier research, development, test, and evaluation efforts at NAWS China Lake, Edwards Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory Rocket Lab, along with their civilian counterparts at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center and the Mojave Air and Space Port. Our region is also home to the Navy's largest Master Jet Base, NAS Lemoore, and the Fresno Air National Guard Base.

Congressman Fong has a longstanding record of strengthening our defense innovation ecosystem and leveraging the power of the private sector to achieve America's goals in hypersonic flight, voting for the Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 and the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, as well as introducing the Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH) Act.