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On Wednesday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Pike County’s Lockheed Martin facility. He toured the facility and then spoke to its employees.

In Stoltenberg’s opening remarks he told Lockheed Martin employees, “What you produce here, what you do here every day is making NATO stronger. That has always been the case but it is even more so now with a full fledge war going on in Europe. And where weapons made by Lockheed Martin have made a huge difference on the battlefield.”

Stoltenberg emphasized that the Lockheed Martin Javelin missile anti-tank system, commonly referred to as “fire and forget” has played a crucial role, especially in the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

The General Secretary’s visit to Lockheed Martin’s Troy, AL facility came on the heels of meetings with the Biden administration, Pentagon officials and lawmakers over a requested $60 billion dollars in additional funding for Ukraine war efforts.

Also, in attendance at yesterday’s visit was Tim Cahill who is the Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Cahill stated that the Pike County facility currently employs approximately 670 people and those numbers could grow. “As we talk to some of our customers overseas there’s a lot of potential as countries are starting to, I think, realize what kind of stockpiles they need to survive an encounter like the Ukraine, I expect that the numbers (employees) are going to grow.” Cahill added, “This is one of our two prime production sites for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control and anything we see as growth will be reflected here.”

Established in 1994, Lockheed Martin’s Pike County operation has seen nearly a 70% employee increase over the last seven years.