My perception about reports from Iraq in the last maybe 4 months or so is that President Barzani and the current prime minister had had a little bit of a rapprochement.

I think you are exactly right. It has been clear now to Iraqis that they are much more effective in fighting Da'esh together than they are separately.

I would venture to say that Chile speaking out about need for reforms in Venezuela is in some ways a much more powerful thing than even us speaking out.

Key to this is going to be, as I mentioned to Senator Cardin, decentralization of authority from Baghdad to the provinces.

If the ultimate objective here is to limit the ability of Hezbollah to do what it is doing, the solution is to invest in Lebanese institutions and not to withdraw support from them at this critical time.

The decision to allow one Sikh for the first time in history of the Army to wear a turban and beard might seem like a small thing, but it is actually about a deeply critical American value that sadly is really wanting and needed in the…

Deterrence happens because an aggressor perceives that the cost of further aggression is going to exceed the benefit of aggression.

I want to also associate myself with the comments of the chair with respect to the effects of sequestration and the need for us to find a better solution.

We have O-plans, but no strategy.

I think it's a very forward-looking approach.

The absence of ratification does not only deprive us of an argument against activities of others that we would argue are not lawful, but it also deprives us of some positive, upside benefits, for example, with respect to the extended…

If that is going to be a big strategic direction going forward, that would necessarily involve the innovation around the creation of new unmanned platforms.

It is my hope that we stick with the two year deal and do not do another one.

I strongly opposed that on the theory that two year budget deals are providing certainty and why would we want to now kind of throw that up in the air and inject more uncertainty in the situation.

Both the Marine Corps and the Air Force have conducted their Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) for their F-35 basing plan.

Our budget is based on the top-line that Congress gave us.

Today, less than half of our Marine Corps units are ready to perform their, quote, wartime missions.

I have voted for you once already. So I am not going to ask questions and make you think I am trying to satisfy myself of whether I made a mistake or not.