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LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 9: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth say "On that mission in Venezuela. There's a lot of things we can't talk about, and there's some basic portions of the mission that are out in the public, but a lot of the things we can't talk about were enabled by capabilities like companies like this to provide decisive advantages for the United States of America. Most Americans won't know. Most adversaries have no idea, and the point is, we don't want them to. Strategic ambiguity is a very good thing. Our enemies need to be thinking what capabilities they have. Are they above us or are they around us, or are they through us? Do we not see what they're able to do? What it leads them to say in their mind? Not today, not tomorrow. I don't want to challenge America today. I don't want to challenge it tomorrow, and I don't want to challenge them in the future. That's the point. You see, the signals you provide save a soldier's life. The Intel, the guides, a precision strike that saves a soldier's life. It all starts right here. Please don't forget that you were a part of that direct line from your hands to the survival and success of our warfighters." to employees of Rocket Lab in Long Beach after winning major government contracts to build satellites at on January 9, 2026 in Long Beach, California. The visit comes as Rocket Lab secures a $816 million deal to build 18 missile-tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency. (Footage by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)