{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wtas-sen-banks-hosts-4th-annual-northeast-indiana-defense-summit-featuring-secretary-of-war-hegseth/", "WTAS: Sen. Banks Hosts 4th\u00a0Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit Featuring Secretary of War Hegseth", "2025-11-13", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Jim Banks", "B001299", "www.banks.senate.gov", "banks", "https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Fort Wayne, Ind. \u2013 This week, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) hosted the 4th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit Featuring Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, and defense industry leaders from across Indiana.\n\nMEDIA ROUNDUP:\n\nIndyStar: \u2018Woke and Weak\u2019: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Speaks at Jim Banks\u2019 Indiana Defense Summit\n\n\u201cHegseth\u2019s visit to Fort Wayne comes as Indiana looks to expand its defense industry. Indiana is home to the third largest naval base in the world in Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane and Fort Wayne\u2019s own L3Harris Technologies is helping the Department of War build a missile defense system called the \u2018Golden Dome.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe Journal Gazette: US Secretary of the Navy: Indiana will provide industry to retool US Navy\n\n\u201cU.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said Wednesday that Indiana will be essential to modernizing the military branch.\u201d\n\n\u201cPhelan told Indiana defense industry leaders that they are key to retooling the fleet\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2018America\u2019s Navy doesn\u2019t start at sea,\u2019 he said. \u2018It starts here where you make things.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Navy is investing in every level of manufacturing, Phelan said, to ensure Marines and sailors are the safest and most prepared they can be when conflict arises. Indiana will be a key factor in that.\u201d\n\n\u201c\u2018That\u2019s where manufacturing powerhouses like Indiana come in,\u2019 he said. \u2018You\u2019re the quiet giants of America\u2019s advanced industrial pace. Your machine shops, foundries and innovation hubs produce the materials and components that make our submarines silent, our ships survivable and our sailors and marines unstoppable.\u2019\u201d\n\nWANE: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses defense summit in Fort Wayne\n\n\u201cSecretary of the Navy John Phelan called Indiana the \u2018quiet giant\u2019 of the defense industryand said the future depended on people who manufacture things, imploring Indiana companies to continue growing both their workforce and capacity.\u201d\n\n12 WBOY: Northeast Indiana Emerges as Nexus of America\u2019s Defense Industry\n\n\u201cAs national defense leaders, policymakers, and industry executives convene in Fort Wayne for the 4th Annual Defense Summit, Northeast Indiana is reaffirming its role as one of the center of innovation and production in America\u2019s defense ecosystem.\u201d\n\n\u201cHome to major defense and aerospace employers including L3Harris, BAE Systems, Raytheon, and Ultra Electronics, Northeast Indiana companies are at the forefront of designing and producing the advanced technologies that keep America safe\u2014ranging from encrypted radios and tactical vehicles to advanced sensors, command and control systems, and components for space and missile defense.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince 2020, businesses in the region have been awarded nearly $2.5 billion in Department of Defense contracts, reflecting the federal government\u2019s growing confidence in the region\u2019s ability to deliver critical capabilities faster and more efficiently than anywhere else in the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith more than 95,000 skilled manufacturing workers and 4,500 engineers, Northeast Indiana delivers high-quality innovation at lower cost to taxpayers. The region also benefits from proximity to six of the nation\u2019s top 15 engineering schools\u2014within 225 miles\u2014and graduates more than 10,000 students annually through the Northeast Indiana Colleges and Universities Network, ensuring a robust pipeline of defense and aerospace talent.\u201d\n\nWBOI: SecDef visits Fort Wayne to address local defense Contractors\n\n\u201cFort Wayne has a long history of manufacturing and innovation in the defense industry, from companies such as BAE Systems to L3Harris, which is involved in Trump\u2019s missile shield program.\u201d\n\n\u201cBanks spoke of the region\u2019s deep ties to the defense industry\u2014including L3Harris, which is involved in Trump\u2019s space-based missile defense system. Other companies, such as Ultra Maritime, in Columbia City, provide technology to the U.S. Navy.\u201d\n\n\u201cBanks recognized a number of leaders in the defense industry in his opening remarks, andpredicted Indiana would have a growing role to play in the \u2018modernization\u2019 of the U.S. military.\u201d\n\nWOWO: Hegseth: Warrior Ethos, Innovation, Readiness Key to U.S. Defense\n\n\u201cHighlighting Indiana\u2019s critical role, Hegseth pointed to NSA Crane, the nation\u2019s third-largest naval installation, as a hub for innovation in drone warfare, hypersonics, and microelectronics. \u2018Crane embodies the warrior ethos committed to unwavering dedication and readiness in the face of any challenge,\u2019 he said.\u201d\n\n\u201cHegseth praised Senator Banks for his support, saying, \u2018You learn real quick in Washington who your real friends are\u2026Senator Banks is an incredible ally who we know we can call when tough decisions have to be made.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe summit focused on strengthening America\u2019s defense industrial base, supporting warfighters, and ensuring the United States remains the strongest military power in the world.\n\n21ALIVE NEWS: Hegseth addresses Northeast Indiana defense contractors about military prioirites\n\n\u201cNortheast Indiana is home to major national security manufacturers including L3Harris, Raytheon and BAE Systems.\u201d\n\n\u201cHegseth mentioned new initiatives that could affect local defense contractors. \u2018We are only going to do business with industry partners that share our priority on speed and volume above all else. We are willing to surge American made, American made, manufacturing at the speed of ingenuity to deliver rapidly and reliably for our war fighters,\u2019 he said.\u201d\n\n\u201cBanks said the visit was beneficial for the state. \u2018For the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to come and learn more about what we\u2019re already doing in Fort Wayne and Indiana, it\u2019s really good for our state to create more jobs and do even more on the defense front,\u2019 Banks said.\u201d\n\nWIBC: War and Navy Secretaries Praise Indiana Defense Role\n\n\u201cPresident Trump is rebuilding and remaking the U.S. military into the world\u2019s strongest fighting force,\u201d Banks said. \u2018Secretary of War Hegseth is leading the effort daily to achieve peace through strength.\u2019\u201d\n\nHegseth added that President Trump has injected \u201cgood ol\u2019 fashioned Indiana common sense\u201d back to the Pentagon\u2019s approach.\u201d\n\n\u201cSecretary Phelan focused on the urgency of naval readiness, describing the state as the \u2018quiet giant\u2019 of the defense industry. He warned that the world demands a \u201ccombat credible naval force,\u201d especially as \u2018China\u2019s unprecedented military buildup\u2019 poses a direct threat.\u201d\n\n\u201c[Sec. Phelan] implored Indiana manufactures to continue growing their workforce and capacity, saying that the state is a \u2018key engine room\u2019 for advanced systems used by the Navy, including at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, which is in Crane, Indiana.\u201d\n\nDaily Caller: Sen. Banks Pins Long-Deserved Purple Heart on Iraq Veteran After Nearly Two Decades\n\n\u201cRepublican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks presented the Purple Heart to former Army National Guard Specialist Robert Drudy on Tuesday, almost 20 years after his injury in the line of duty.\u201d\n\n\u201cBanks presented him the award alongside Fort Wayne, Ind. Mayor Sharon Tucker on Veterans Day at the fourth annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit.\u201d\n\n\u201cFrom time to time, we hear about mistakes that the military has made, recognitions that weren\u2019t properly given, and we do everything that we can on team Banks to make sure that we right those wrongs and make up for it,\u201d Banks said in his remarks. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be prouder that today we get to provide this Purple Heart to Fort Wayne resident and former Army Specialist Robert Drudy.\u201d\n\nWANE: Tucker, Banks award veteran with Purple Heart to kickoff Northeast Indiana Defense Summit, celebrate Veterans Day\n\nThe fourth annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit kicked off in Fort Wayne, not with one of its premier speakers like President Trump\u2019s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, but with a little-known local man, crowned as a hero.\n\n21ALIVE NEWS: Army Veteran awarded Purple Heart during Northeast Indiana Defense Summit\n\nAn Army veteran was presented with a Purple Heart during the Northeast Indiana Defense Summit on Tuesday.\n\nSenator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker presented him with the award. Banks said it was \u201can incredible honor\u201d to present Drudy with the award.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wtas-sen-banks-hosts-4th-annual-northeast-indiana-defense-summit-featuring-secretary-of-war-hegseth/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.255096100270748, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}