On Wednesday, the 4th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit was hosted by Republican Senator Jim Banks in Fort Wayne.

The summit featured remarks from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, both of whom stressed the state’s crucial role in national security.

“President Trump is rebuilding and remaking the U.S. military into the world’s strongest fighting force,” Banks said. “Secretary of War Hegseth is leading the effort daily to achieve peace through strength.”

Hegseth underscored the administration’s “America First” philosophy and the need to restore military standards. He defended the recent decision to rename the agency to the Department of War.

“That’s why we restored the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War for clarity, not because we want war, but because we must be fully prepared to wage it,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth added that President Trump has injected “good ol’ fashioned Indiana common sense” back to the Pentagon’s approach.

Secretary Phelan focused on the urgency of naval readiness, describing the state as the “quiet giant” of the defense industry. He warned that the world demands a “combat credible naval force,” especially as “China’s unprecedented military buildup” poses a direct threat.

“Warfare is being reshaped in real-time by drones, AI, autonomy, machine learning, and rapid iteration,” Phelan said. “The ability to adapt and iterate is no longer a competitive edge. It’s a key determinate of victory.”

He implored Indiana manufactures to continue growing their workforce and capacity, saying that the state is a “key engine room” for advanced systems used by the Navy, including at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, which is in Crane, Indiana.