I'm proud to be here today to support Governor Gary Locke in his nomination to be Secretary of Commerce.

I am 100-percent certain that this fingerprint is the one except, Oops, no, found out it was not.

With aging equipment.

We approve here in Congress budget requests based on justification documents that say a certain amount of gear will go to the Guard and Reserves.

I have been concerned about the increased use of roadside bombs.

The contractor has extended manufacturing schedules several times, but test aircraft delivery dates continue to slip.

I think we are going to probably, in the coming year, have a lot of conversations on this.

So should we do something different in the appropriation process itself to make it easier?

I think the Army Guard is going to be better equipped, better trained, and in a better position because of your service.

Would you agree that there is a significant difference between the police and the Army.

I just had an opportunity to lead a Senate delegation on a trip to Iraq and Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I am glad to see the Secretary and Admiral Mullen.

I'm not quite sure how I see you doing this--how you get away from no more cross-leveling, and the rating.

We've written to you on the question of more transparency of where equipment goes--we appropriate the money for it, and we kind of lose sight as it comes off the assembly line, where it goes.

DHS said it had done an "exhaustive" search of its databases and could find no information relating to the MSP surveillance operations.

I would add, again, Secretary and General, that I don't raise this just out of a parochial concern for the 1,800 from Vermont, but for obviously, for everybody who is there.

I know you both know the 86th Mountain Brigade, that's upward of 1,800 very proud citizen soldiers from the Vermont Army National Guard are going to begin a deployment, either end of this year or early next year, to Afghanistan.

Given the importance of the capability to deter, detect, and destroy airborne threats to the United States, it is important that the Air Force address current and future requirements of the ASA mission to ensure its long-term…