Is there any reason that we should have less concern about what's happening there, rather than more concern?

There's been discussion about the red line that has been drawn should Syria attempt to use those chemical weapons either on their own people or on others in the region.

General Mattis, what is your assessment of the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS) system?

General Welsh, in terms of our Nation's nuclear deterrent, what value does the bomber leg of the triad provide?

I believe that this is not something that when you are within the Air Force and a victim that you should receive, but I believe that victims across the branches should be receiving this type of support.

to win the fight, you must 'own the skies.'

this is a very important issue that we are concerned about in terms of the readiness of our forces and also making sure that those who are victims receive the support that they need and a proper legal process to see that justice is done…

I understand, General Welsh, from the discussion you and I certainly had this morning in my office that you are in the process, the Air Force is in the process, of making the decision on the basing of this particularly for the Air National…

I want to commend both of you just for the way you have conducted the process thus far.

Today, Senator Murray and I are introducing a bill which, in part, will provide a SVC to all sexual assault victims within all branches of the military.

if sequestration continues into fiscal year 2014, how will it impact the Navy and Marine Corps rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region?

The Virginia-class continues to be a highly successful acquisition program with ships consistently delivering early and within budget.

how important is it that Congress provides the resources for the Navy to build two Virginia-class submarines each year

Sequestration is something that I think is particularly foolish with regard to our national security.

what impact is the across-the-board civilian hiring freeze having on the Navy

Per our 2012 Force Structure Assessment, the Navy's requirement for SSNs is 48.

that would take on tremendous risk, given the challenges we face around the world.

the world's not getting any safer with Iran marching toward a nuclear weapon, with what's happening in the Persian Gulf, with our shift to the Asia-Pacific region, all of which needs naval capacity.