Well, the prior legislation failed in the Senate so I think all of us want to come to a resolution to find a bipartisan way forward to address these issues.

So, that worries me, and I hope that's something we talk about more in this committee, because this is such an important threat to our country...

I think the spirit of how we want to get there is there.

It has been said that Al Qaeda's strategy is to draw the United States into an extended global conflict that validates the narrative that the United States is permanently at war with Islam.

As it relates to the planned Air Mobility Command airlift force structure, what is your greatest concern in providing airlift capabilities to support the National Military Strategy and contingency operations to other combatant commanders?

How do we ensure ANA/ANP forces can counter the Taliban forces without ISAF assistance, when only one in 23 ANA kandaks can currently operate independently?

Sequestration cuts are bad policy and bad for the American people.

The cuts to the Department of Defense budget are destructive and indiscriminate.

I also encourage you to look at the Balancing Act, which I offered with other members of the Progressive Caucus, as an alternative to the dangerous sequester cuts.

Are other Pacific nations also beginning to question our commitment to the Pacific region?

China's rapid development of advanced military capabilities, combined with its unclear intentions, certainly raises strategic and security concerns.

The Department's strategic guidance calls for cooperative partnerships to bolster common interests in the region.

Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the space race.

Degraded facilities put missions at risk and delayed MILCON projects endanger the implementation of international agreements.

In your testimony, you say that China "questions the sustainability of the rebalance, pointing to sequestration and other looming fiscal issues."

Finally, gentlemen, I do want to raise my concerns... about sexual assault in the military.

I certainly hope that we will do our utmost in Congress to address those automatic cuts from sequestration.

Particularly in these challenging economic times, I think it's prudent for you to continue proceeding down this path, and hope that we can provide you as much support in the Senate as possible.