John McCain

I want to take the opportunity, on behalf of all of us on this committee and in the U.S. Senate, thanking you for your outstanding service.

Unfortunately in recent years, China has behaved less like a responsible stakeholder and more like a bully.

I'm also concerned by the recent assessment from Admiral Bill Gortney, the head of NORAD, that North Korea has an operational road-mobile missile that could carry nuclear weapons to the United States.

It's currently not a success story, sir.

I totally disagree with you about ignoring Syria. There's no strategy for Syria. And we all know that.

To say that we are going to have a strategy for Iraq first and then Syria, of course, is sophistry.

Under sequestration, all of these efforts, both civilian, military, interagency, will be hammered if it is allowed to prevail.

Addressing the root causes that helped lead to the rise of ISIS will require promoting the conditions for a political arrangement as well as success on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the lack of clear U.S. strategy and lack of strong U.S. leadership has confused our friends, encouraged our enemies, and created space for malign influence to flourish.

I mean, we don't fill in areas of some 600 acres, either.

The United States must work together with like-minded partners and allies to develop and employ a comprehensive strategy that aims to shape China's coercive peacetime behavior.

Isn't that quite a commentary on our relationship with Saudi Arabia and the other 13 countries in their coalition, that they would--on literally the day of their attacks, they tell you that--tell the United States of America that they're…

There's a new hope and a new opportunity, and we have to move forward, understanding it's still a very fragile situation.

The issues in Iraq need to have a political solution, that military efforts will buy time but not ultimate and decisive success.

Right now, if you're a nation-state, if you're a group, if you're an individual, my assessment is that most come to the conclusion that conducting a cyber attack is incredibly low risk, that there's little price to pay for the actions that…

Every once in a while, we read things, media reports that get our attention.

It's not very often we have a briefing that really has significant impact, I think, on all members...

The current goal--global security environment, as you've mentioned, is more complex and dynamic and uncertain than at any time in recent history

That, General, is not a viable or, frankly, a good use of the taxpayers' dollars.

The outcome of the nuclear framework negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran... will have profound impacts in the region.

The growing influence of Shiite-dominated militia in Iraq... threatens to alienate the liberated Sunni community.

General Welsh, can you meet all combatant commander demand and operations plan requirements with a fleet of eight EC-130H aircraft?

Vladimir Putin's activities in the Crimea vividly remind us that the Nation may face the possibility of conflict with a more advanced military.

Is the 80 percent level of review of Air Force mission areas completed as you promised then-Chairman Levin last year?

We remain committed to seeking efficiencies as we explore the future of the Total Force.