During a visit to Lockheed Martin’s massive Fort Worth plant, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and the workers who build it.

Hegseth addressed some of the facility’s roughly 19,000 employees Monday afternoon as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour, calling the jet central to the Trump administration’s defense priorities.

“We’re rebuilding our military. This is why we’re doing the Arsenal of Freedom tour,” Hegseth said.

He toured the facility and signed the bomb bay of an F-35 jet on display. Hegseth said the aircraft is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to increase the U.S. defense budget from $901 billion in fiscal year 2026 to $1.5 trillion in 2027.

“We are rebuilding the arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth said. “President Trump did it in his first term, and we’re going to do it again. We had a historic budget last year, and the president has now announced a goal of $1.5 trillion for our national defense budget in 2027. That is a message to the world.”

Hegseth also credited the F-35 with playing a significant role in a recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela. On Jan. 3, the U.S. military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro without any U.S. troops being killed, according to the Pentagon.

Hegseth praised both the service members involved in the mission and Lockheed Martin employees who build the aircraft.

“You are a core function of the arsenal of freedom,” he said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was among the lawmakers touring the facility with Hegseth. Cruz told reporters the operation highlighted the United States’ technological edge and military training.

“We all saw on January 3 just how transformational the technological advantage of the United States is, combined with the exquisite training of our fighting men and women,” Cruz said.

Cruz said he earlier met in San Antonio with soldiers wounded during the operation to capture Maduro.

“I told all three of those soldiers that what you participated in was history,” Cruz said. “You were living history, and the world is safer because of it.”

Cruz added that he hopes the operation will lead to free and fair elections in Venezuela.

Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.

Follow Jack on X: @cbs11jack