I think we can acknowledge that the National Guard is a very integral part of what your mission will be.

We have to remember that half the population of the world and half of its economy is in that region...

Making these irreversible force structure changes to the Guard before we have had a chance to see what the Commission has to say about ARI would not be advisable and does not make sense to me.

Funding to sequester levels removes flexibility to respond to emergent challenges.

For too long, Europe has relied on the American taxpayer for their security.

The rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, as the term goes, is in my eyes a commitment to continue the pivotal American military role in the Asia-Pacific theater, which has kept peace and stability there for decades now.

You don't advocate a diminishment of the resources we are spending with regard to the Middle East or Russia and Europe at this point, do you?

It's outrageous that this month's transfer of 100 armored Humvees to the Ukrainians took over one year to process due to bureaucratic delays at DOD and State?

If we don't stand behind our word on that article, then our word really does mean nothing.

According to NATO guidelines, we ask our NATO allies to devote at least 2 percent of their GDP to defense.

Sequestration presents serious risk to executing the military aspects of the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.

The world is more dangerous today than it was in 2013.

Can you highlight to this committee the steps the Department of Defense (DOD) should take to send a credible message to Russia about our red-lines in Eastern Europe?

Yes, he wouldn't be overly delighted with sequestration and with the current funding level and proposed funding level going forward?

Would you agree with me that the United States not providing defensive arms to Ukraine could send a message to Putin about a lack of resolve on Ukraine from the administration?

Zbigniew Brzezinski spoke to this committee earlier this year and said we need to create a trip wire in the Baltics.

Well, we will put that to a vote, and I think we will get a nice show of hands there.

If we tell you what to do, you will do it.