I had introduced an amendment to the NDAA that passed unanimously--it didn't end up getting adopted in the House--to basically say to DOD to meet the 2014 deadline that the Secretary has set for it.

this is important for us to do? Is this an important exercise?

You know I'm a huge fan of the A-10 because I am married to an A-10 pilot.

having good financial data and making sure that our DOD is auditable I think has to be a top priority for us.

I think that so many of our pilots in the Guard and Reserve have flown in the active duty also before they've served.

The Navy has a requirement for 48 attack submarines?

I hope that we will act immediately on a bipartisan basis in Congress to stop the sequestration, because when you think about our fleet going down to 235 that is an unacceptable risk to our country and our allies.

We can't drive our national security interests, particularly on something so important as our attack submarine fleet, by just being handed a number by Congress.

I'm very proud of the maintenance done at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the excellent work done there on the Virginia-class submarine.

I'm deeply troubled, Admiral, when you tell me that if we allow, this Congress, sequestration to go forward that our fleet could be in a position where it would go from 285 capacity to 235.

I'm very concerned about the proposal in the fiscal year 2013 budget of where this will bring our production rate.

So we'll have a nine-submarine shortfall in 2030 if we continue with the proposed build rate that we have in this budget?

The importance of the U.S.-European security relationship cannot be overstated, nor can America's commitment to our allies across the Atlantic.

The Chicago Summit is a chance to remind the world that NATO still represents the most capable military alliance the world has ever seen.

I would hope that even though enlargement is on hold for the Chicago Summit, that there will be an effort to make sure that countries like Georgia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and those countries who are interested in being part of NATO, have some…

This meeting presents a unique and timely opportunity to reiterate that the NATO alliance continues to wield unprecedented influence in our world.

Thank you, ma'am.

A NATO that is relevant for the 21st century is flexible, adaptable, and able to transform itself--and is postured to make smart defense investments.