One of the disconcerting comments that the Russians continue to make is that they have a strategy now of escalate to deescalate with nuclear weapons.

It is an escalator to catastrophe in my view.

If we are serious about the drug epidemic in this country, we need to adequately fund not only fund our crucial military effort in SOUTHCOM, but also Health and Human Services, the FBI, the DEA, the Coast Guard, the FDA, and all the other…

This committee has grown increasingly concerned about the erosion of America's conventional military overmatch.

I think we have to pursue aggressively this information operation.

We must not and will not bargain over our alliances or over fundamental principles of the rules-based order.

The new administration has an important opportunity to chart a different and better course.

We do have a successful example of Timor-Leste and Australia of working together.

Mr. Chairman, I concur.

Thank you, Admiral, and make sure you thank the men and women under your command.

Withdrawing or renegotiating the INF treaty with Russia may bring marginal benefits in the PACOM AOR but could have devastating effects for the EUCOM and CENTCOM AORs.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me focus on the issue of cyber, which you brought up, and I brought up in my comments.

The PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) controls the largest and most diverse missile force in the world, with an inventory of more than 2,000 ballistic and cruise missiles.

we cannot assume that potential adversaries will allow us free rein in this area in the future.

Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Russia is exploiting to threaten the bedrock of our democracy and our shared international institutions.

We lack an effective integrated and coordinated capability to detect and counter the kind of influence operation that Russia now routinely and continuously conducts.

Yes, sir. I would be the first to admit it is not what our workforce is optimized for.