Linda Griffin has worked for Lockheed Martin for more than 25 years. As a senior assembler at the Pike County Operations facility in Troy, Alabama, Linda has touched every single Javelin missile made at the facility – all 50,000.
On Tuesday, May 3, Linda introduced President Joe Biden who visited the Troy facility for an official White House visit and thanked Linda and her nearly 600 colleagues for the work they do every day to keep our nation and allies safe.
“Some of the best, most effective weapons in our arsenal are those Javelin missiles like the ones manufactured right here in Pike County,” said President Biden. “I came for a basic reason from the bottom of my heart to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for what you do, thank you for what you continue to do. Unless you go out in the field and see it, you don’t realize what a difference you’re making.”
“You’re making it possible for the Ukrainian people to defend themselves without us having to risk getting in a third world war,” continued the Commander-in-Chief.
The Pike County Operations facility is home to nearly 600 employees and is a manufacturing, final assembly and storage operation for many of Lockheed Martin’s missile programs, including Javelin, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), and the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM).
The President toured the Javelin production line and met with Lockheed Martin employees who work to create a quality product every day for our customers.
“I have worked on several programs, including Javelin, where I have touched every single one of the 50,000 Javelin missiles that we have built in Troy,” said Linda Griffin. “We take pride in making them perfect each time because you want to see family members come home.”
Javelin is a versatile anti-tank precision weapon system capable of defeating all known armor as well as a wide array of regular and irregular targets. Developed and produced by the Lockheed Martin/Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture, Javelin is in-service with the U.S. military, as well as with 19 allied countries. The United States alone has committed more than 5,500 Javelins to Ukraine.
“For nearly 30 years, the team here has produced some of the most advanced defense technologies in the world,” said Jim Taiclet, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO. “Every day, members of the U.S. military and our allies across the globe depend on the systems we make here to defend against threats on land, at sea, and in the air.”
To watch the full remarks delivered by President Biden at Lockheed Martin, click here.