I intend to continue to strengthen our bilateral defense relationship in a number of ways.

I intend to work to continue to strengthen the relationship and am looking forward, if confirmed, to working closely with my Israeli counterparts.

I do not believe we need a permission slip from the United Nations before we can engage in military operations.

I completely support one of the primary objectives of the Ploughshares Fund: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Iran poses a significant threat to the United States, our allies, and partners, and our interests in the region and globally.

I've never thought engagement as weakness. I never thought it was surrender. I never thought it was appeasement.

Thank you, Senator. Let me first correct some of your interpretation of what the Global Zero report was and what it actually said.

I call it an illustration, Senator, because that is the term; it is used at the front end of the report.

As Senator Nunn said in his opening statement--and I have alluded generally to this--the mainstream thinking of most Presidents we have had in the last 65 years--and I go back to Ronald Reagan's comments, as Senator Nunn quoted--was…

Well, it is not inconsistent, I don't believe, Senator. But you used the term `could'. That is a pretty important operative word in the report.

Let me go, and not only did he go, he served with courage on the battlefield.

I just think, am I sad that this is going to be a party-line vote? Yes, I am.

I think we have to be really careful with inferences that would leave the impression that this man would somehow purposely evade or purposely mislead this committee.

I do think a great deal of deference should be given to the Commander in Chief on his selection.

The nations of Europe make up the majority of an alliance key to our collective defense strategy.

We cannot rebalance or pivot towards Asia without Europe.

I support Israel, but my first interest, because I take an oath of office to the Constitution of the United States, not to a president, not to a party, not to Israel.

I'm a United States senator, not an Israeli senator.