John McCain

General Goldfein, based on the differences, if any, between your required and projected primary mission aircraft inventory levels for fighter aircraft for fiscal year 2018, can you characterize the risk the Air Force will assume in meeting…

Senator McCain. General Goldfein, what is your required total aircraft inventory level for fighter aircraft for fiscal year 2018?

We take our jobs very seriously and we take the Constitution very seriously.

I have to tell you, Madam Secretary and General, we are going to have to start imposing some penalties if you do not carry out the law.

One hundred is the minimum. We will start with 100 and go from there.

I totally agree with you. But I have never seen anything like this one.

The American people need to know if we are going to spend $2 billion on what?

So we need more than three percent in the future.

A return to the current Budget Control Act caps will pose unmanageable--and unacceptable--risks to our ability to protect America's vital national interests.

This is a full-blown crisis, and if left unresolved, it will call into question the Air Force's ability to accomplish its mission.

Currently the force is short 1,500 pilots and 3,400 maintainers.

The self-inflicted wounds of these budget cuts have produced the smallest, oldest, and least ready Air Force in our history.

Do the taxpayers of America not deserve something better than that?

Is it of interest that 90 percent of defense spending is in the hands of five companies?

The fact is that this budget may, at least as far as readiness is concerned, just stop the bleeding.

OCO [overseas contingency operations] is a gimmick.

I commit to you that we will not make the mistakes of the past in the acquisition process.

I believe the Senate in a bipartisan fashion should repeal the BCA [Budget Control Act] and establish a more reasonable limit on discretionary spending.

I applaud the Army for its integration of women into all of its formations, without restriction, including combat and special operations units.

I am aware of General Nicholson's description of the current status of the fight as a stalemate.

I would assess they are a steady state of aggressive activities.

I think we have great support and great opportunity there, and we are continuing to enhance that approach.

General, how are the spending caps under the Budget Control Act impacting the readiness and capabilities of special operations forces?

I would like to thank you for your continued support of USSOCOM and our people.

I look forward to an update on the lessons learned from this initiative and SOCOM's plans going forward.