President Joe Biden on Tuesday credited Lockheed Martin technicians who build the Javelin anti-tank missiles used to great effect by Ukrainian defence forces with helping Ukraine defend itself without the need to put American lives at risk and compared workers at the Troy, Alabama manufacturing facility to the American women who helped the US become the “arsenal of democracy” during the Second World War.
“We built the weapons and equipment that helped defend freedom and sovereignty in Europe years ago — that's true again today,” said Mr Biden, who recalled how a veteran of the July 1944 Normandy landing who he’d met during the 50th anniversary of D-Day credited his wife — who worked at the plant that built the landing craft used by allied forces — with “literally saving civilisation”.
