North Mississippi recently welcomed the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. I met the secretary at the Tupelo airport, and we immediately kicked off a tour that showcased several ways our state contributes to national security.

Meeting Mississippi’s Service Members

For our first stop, we met with men and women working at the nearby Army Aviation Support Facility. These technicians serve our state’s National Guard aviation units, and they warmly greeted the secretary, who is a veteran of both the Minnesota and D.C. national guards. At the end of the visit, Secretary Hegseth suited up and participated in a flight operation aboard an Apache attack aircraft.

That evening, we attended “A Southern Salute to the Troops,” an event organized by veterans advocacy group 7 Days for the Troops. Secretary Hegseth knows what it is like to serve in uniform. He has deployed in combat to both Iraq and Afghanistan, and he enjoyed meeting with fellow veterans in Mississippi. Mr. Hegseth had agreed to this event before President Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Defense. I credit the secretary with keeping his word and attending the gathering, which raised funds for an important cause.

Touring Mississippi’s Defense Industry

In his visits with national guardsmen and veterans, Secretary Hegseth underscored his commitment to American service members. In a walkthrough of a defense production site, he highlighted another one of our shared priorities: equipping the armed forces for its national security mission.

Secretary Hegseth and I toured the General Atomics facility in Lee County. Staff briefed us on their cutting-edge technologies, which include hypersonic capabilities and directed energy lasers. The team showcased Mississippi’s skill and served as an example of the excellent work happening statewide.

Many such manufacturers have found a home in the Magnolia State. In factories, laboratories, and shipyards, Mississippians construct helicopters, munitions, lasers, submarine parts, destroyers, cutters, and so much more – all of which supports American troops across the globe.

Recognizing Mississippi’s Research Capabilities

When private innovators, military officials, and academic researchers collaborate, they achieve amazing breakthroughs. This is called “the triple helix of innovation,” and Mississippi boasts all three elements of this powerful system. The first two were represented when we met with industry and defense leaders in Tupelo. Earlier that same day, I visited the third. I spoke in Oxford at an event organized by the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Narrative Intelligence. This relatively new institute combats cognitive warfare, a dangerous yet underdiscussed threat facing our country.

Most of the time, we focus on the traditional tools of conflict, such as ships, aircraft, and munitions. We talk less often about the threat to our hearts and minds. Narrative intelligence is a tool that helps us understand how America’s enemies try to influence our sense of patriotism and skew our understanding of current events. The center is helping us identify cleverly disguised propaganda from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

The events of just one day in Mississippi make it clear that our state is a powerhouse of military service, technology, and preparedness. I have been consistently making that case in Washington, and I am pleased that our new Secretary of Defense got firsthand experience of what Mississippi has to offer.