General Johns, have you decided which C-5A aircraft you want to retire, and which units will be losing aircraft without replacement by C-17s if you have to maintain 316 aircraft?

the reality is that this is something that the regulators have to address thoughtfully, thoroughly.

General Johns, which aircraft and which units would be affected if we either eliminate the floor or lower the floor to 301 aircraft?

General Johns, C-5B aircraft will be unavailable for nearly a year in the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP) modification, which continues through 2015.

Getting the number right is absolutely important.

It is appropriate that we consider this change very carefully.

But it really is a long-haul effort, and as we get into the challenges ahead with regard to the budget and new ship programs, we really have to carry this discipline further forward to ensure that we don't have breakage at a period when…

Thank you, Senator. I want to join you in thanking the panel for very insightful and very, very helpful, constructive testimony this afternoon.

I again am confident, working together, we can provide the resources necessary for the mission of the Marine Corps and the Navy in very difficult times and, I emphasize, on a bipartisan basis.

Mr. Secretary, you have $12 million in the budget for the AoA. Is that enough, given the complexity of evaluating several moving parts?

I would be remiss if I did not very strongly, and with great appreciation express my thanks to Senator Ayotte and her staff for her excellent work.

Are we looking outside the proverbial box at all these interrelated issues to make a comprehensive presentation?

I think one of the obvious impressions in the questioning of everyone is that these are a series of very critical decisions that are interrelated in so many different ways.

There's no single silver bullet. There is no sacred cow.

Let me associate myself with the thoughtful comment of my colleague that this was a very productive hearing, as a result of your questions particularly.

You've made the very explicit point that you've beefed up dramatically your supervisory staff.

strategic and tactical airlift is central to everything we do, everywhere we do it, and it deserves premier attention.

The surge is not only Homeland security. It is also a major campaign, which would be a conventional fight, unlike the irregular warfare we are seeing now?