FORT MCNAIR— Move faster and invest more, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told hundreds of defense-industry executives on Friday—or we just might make you.

Hegseth, who spoke for more than an hour to a packed auditorium at the National War College, formally unveiled a slew of policy changes intended to replace his department’s Cold War-era acquisition processes with ones that value speed over rigid requirements. The secretary described the gathering as an opportunity to look executives “in the eye.”

“We commit to doing our part, but industry also needs to be willing to invest their own dollars to meet the long-term demand signals provided to them. Industry must use capital expenditures to upgrade facilities, upskill their workforce, and expand capacity. If they don't, we are prepared to

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