On Friday, United States Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan cut the ribbon on "Hadrian Alabama Factory 4," a new defense industrial facility in Northwest, Alabama. The Department of War entered into a public-private partnership with Hadrian, an AI-driven manufacturing corporation, to spearhead the manufacture of submarine components and ships. The factory launch fulfills a key component of President Donald Trump's vision for a Golden Fleet to revitalize the United States Navy. Factory 4 will become the flagship factory for the design and manufacture of submarine components and maritime production.
Alabama's local, state, and national leaders were in attendance, including Republican Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-04), Rep. and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers (R-03), and Rep. Barry Moore (R-01). Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and MS Senator Roger Wicker (R) was also present at the ceremony.
Hadrian lauded the occasion with this press release:
Known as Factory 4, the Cherokee facility is an advanced, highly automated manufacturing plant that will mass-produce components needed for submarine construction, including parts, assemblies, and finished products. These products have been identified by the industry as the largest drivers of submarine schedules, so increasing production allows submarines to also be produced faster. F4 will be one of three facilities producing systems for the maritime industrial base, with one of the facilities slated to be a Foundry of the Future, focused on castings and forging. The contract with the Navy is structured as a public-private partnership combining more than $1.5 billion in private capital with $900 million in government funding through Navy appropriations, for a total investment of more than $2.4 billion.
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Promises made, promises kept, not just for the revitalization of American military strength, but for American manufacturing, and American jobs. As production ramps up at the 2.2-million-square-foot Factory 4 facility, it promises to bring 1,000 jobs to what is known as "The Shoals" region.
Today, at @HadrianInc’s factory of the future we delivered the generational investment required to rebuild our @USNavy shipbuilding capacity, bringing those jobs back to Alabama and putting American skilled laborers back at the center of American strength. A new kind of strategic… pic.twitter.com/gMGRn0lnZp
— Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan (@SECNAV) March 20, 2026
Today, at @HadrianInc’s factory of the future we delivered the generational investment required to rebuild our @USNavy shipbuilding capacity, bringing those jobs back to Alabama and putting American skilled laborers back at the center of American strength. A new kind of strategic partnership. None of this could have happened without the leadership of @POTUS and both chambers of Congress.
This is the heart of a region that progress and industrialization had left behind. The facility that was abandoned five years ago had previously housed the FreightCar America Railcar plant. In 2020, the company closed the facility, moved manufacturing to Mexico, and took those well-paying jobs with it.
During World War II, Alabama was a crucial contributor to the war effort, from steel and aluminum production to the manufacturing of weapons, ammunition, and precision motors. Post-war, manufacturing, particularly in the northern part of the state, slowly diminished through the 21st century, as many companies moved production out of state and overseas. This is why Congressman Robert Aderholt, who is a son of the Shoals and represents this area and Huntsville, worked diligently to make Northern Alabama a pivotal part of President Trump's Golden Age of military might.
In Aderholt's remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he said:
"Having grown up in northwest Alabama and being in this part of the state, it's a real exciting day for me personally. There's so many parts of this state and our country that sometimes have gotten left behind. But this is really going to be the factory of the future. This is really going to transform northwest Alabama, and Alabama as a whole."
Aderholt praised President Trump for the vision to bring the rebuilding of the Golden Fleet back to America and the state.
"I like that President Trump had the vision to bring jobs here and to make sure that we keep jobs here. And that's what my job is, what the job of our senators is. And, of course, we're so happy to have the Secretary of the Navy here with us today. And so much thanks goes to President Trump having the vision of a big, beautiful bill. where we can really pump money into rebuilding the American workforce."
Aderholt promised that, "I tell people now, sitting out there, this is just the beginning. And we're all going to make sure that we work to see this coming to fruition."
This ribbon-cutting was an even bigger deal for the people packed on the factory floor. Every seat was filled, with many people standing. The citizens of Colbert County, with its nearby cities of Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Sheffield, and Florence, came out in force to see the hopes and fortunes of their hometown reinvigorated.
Alabama senior senator and gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville affirmed Aderholt's promise, saying:
"This is not a five- or 10-year project. Most everybody in here will be dead and gone, and they'll still be building submarines here. I want you to think about that. They'll still be here building submarines. There will be hundreds of billions of dollars that will be sent to Northwest Alabama for this project alone."
Tuberville also praised President Trump for his leadership and for his investment in America, via the state of Alabama.
"You can't give enough credit to Donald Trump for what he, Number One, he's done for Alabama. [...] He loves the state. You know why he loves this thing? Because he loves the country. He knows the people of Alabama get it done.
"We'll cut a ribbon today for the future of Northwest, Alabama, all of Alabama, and this country for protection of our kids and grandkids in the future. And I hope you really understand what this means. It is phenomenal. It is a game changer."
Back in February, Phelan gave a speech at the West 2026 conference, where he called for industry to step up and bring innovation to the Department of War and the president's plans. Hadrian was one of the privately held corporations that answered that call.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Hadrian founder and CEO Chris Power spoke about this being more than a mere business partnership. It ensured that America's sailors would be carried safely and well in their mission to protect and defend our country.
Power said:
"We're surely mindful that the mission matters here because the stuff that we have constructed holds a bunch of sailors going out in dark and dangerous places right now, making sure we all get to sit here and drink a couple of beers. We can't forget that.
"This has got nothing to do with growing the company, this has got nothing to do with capital: it is about them and what they do for us."
SECNAV Phelan affirmed in his remarks that this is only the first phase of Golden Fleet production, with many more ribbon cuttings and launches to come across the United States.
"This is great news. This is Step One of revitalizing the maritime industrial phase of what the Golden Fleet is, which is rebuilding the fleet, revitalizing the maritime industrial base, and changing the way the Navy does business. This is really a win-win between the Navy and Hadrian. Shared risk, alignment of incentives, downside protection, and upside participation."
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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