How do we protect the investor?

The Senator Kerry-Senator Lugar bill is very important as far as I'm concerned, because it's not about the $1.5 billion a year as much as it is a 5-year commitment to Pakistan.

It points to a concern that a lot of people who have served and a lot of people who have written about the situation in Afghanistan share. That is that maneuverability is the most effective way to conduct operations against international…

I have often remarked, as someone who grew up in that environment and also had to watch a son and a son-in-law deployed to combat, it is probably harder being a family member either with a father or a spouse deployed or having a child…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, Mr. Chairman, I would offer a comment about the preparation that Dr. Westphal has made for this position.

For every slot that is given to one person, it is arguably taken away from someone else.

My strongest objections early on were the interference of the political process into the day-to-day decisions that should have been left to the military.

We all feel very strongly that, as much as possible, our military should represent America, but we also, all of us I think, feel very strongly that should occur with demonstrable standards of fairness.

Anything that would diminish that status is something we have to guard against.

We are at our best, we are at our strongest when we draw from all over the country.

We have, on the one hand, I think, become a much more unilateral guarantor among the NATO countries for security issues.

I have some real concerns about what has happened to the NATO Alliance, not with respect to Afghanistan, but I guess the only phrase you can really use is international sprawl.

In our current strategic environment, these commitments can affect force structure in the short-term but really not play out to our national advantage in the long-term.

But, also a national army is a component of a viable national government.

I regretfully say I think that the Army really failed the Tillman family.

They really don't add, quite frankly, to the security of the United States to have them as members of NATO.

It's an honor and a privilege to support Donald Remy's nomination before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

I think your selection, General Shinseki, is an inspired act of leadership by the incoming President.