Hegseth viewed the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires. Oshkosh presented the platforms as examples of how its wider industrial base supports ground mobility requirements for U.S. 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. “From building beautiful fire trucks I had the chance to see, to the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, you are a model of delivering commercial and military capabilities to the Warfighter.”
LIVE: @SecWar kicks off the second Arsenal of Freedom tour in Oshkosh, Wis. https://t.co/MgIVtLnYuJ
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) August 24, 2026
“What’s special about Oshkosh is that 90 percent of your work is for commercial civilian use,” Hegseth said. “It’s great to see integrated production lines of both commercial and defense capabilities.”
Oshkosh Defense has manufactured more than 25,000 JLTVs for the U.S. Armed Forces and allied customers since winning the original contract in 2015. The program is supported by a network of more than 300 suppliers and established production processes designed for large-scale output.
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— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) August 24, 2026
“Secretary Hegseth’s visit underscores the critical role American industry plays in strengthening our nation’s Arsenal of Freedom,” said John Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer of 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.”
The company is also integrating autonomy and modular open-systems architectures into its tactical vehicle portfolio. Oshkosh said those technologies, combined with its existing factories and commercial manufacturing expertise, would support changing military requirements.
“The skilled men and women across Oshkosh Defense have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to turn requirements into proven capability built to perform in the world’s most demanding environments,” said Steve Nordlund, executive vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president of its Transport segment. “We have the people, infrastructure and production expertise in place today to move quickly and scale when our customers need us.”
