John McCain

We just can't have that. It's not acceptable.

I'd appreciate very much in writing exactly what took place that caused this horrendous overrun of the Gerald R. Ford.

Are we going to make that number?

Now, what's going to be the cost of the John F. Kennedy?

Have we ever figured out what caused all of that?

So it's a $2.3 billion cost overrun?

$12.8 billion. Is that a $2.8 billion cost overrun?

The cost of the Gerald R. Ford was $12 billion, is that correct?

Because of sequestration as well as a lack of budget discipline, the Navy is having to resort to a gimmick under which it is laying up ships in a 'reduced operating status' for up to 10 years.

The new Ohio will require annual spending of well over $6 billion per year.

How can our allies and our adversaries take the so-called pivot to the Pacific seriously, when we aren't even adequately resourcing the requirements of our combatant commanders?

Our combatant commanders are feeling the effect of limited resources just as our global competitors are ramping up their naval capabilities.

The course the President is charting will not only leave us with a smaller Navy but with a less capable one.

This inconsistency sends mixed messages to our allies, limits our strategic options both now and in the future.

The President's budget for defense spending for fiscal year 2015 is misguided.

But as outlined in last year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), unless the Navy meets required performance parameters by 2016, the procurement will end at 24 ships.

Recently, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), pointed out that the Navy would need a 450-ship fleet in order to meet the needs of combatant commanders.

I trust that our witnesses are prepared to address these issues today with the subcommittee and outline specific steps under way to ensure the Navy's shipbuilding programs are on the right course.

We designed many of our shipbuilding programs, not just LCS, with the notion of a permissive environment at sea and that is rapidly changing.

Isn't one of the many lessons here, fly-before-you-buy?

The GAO has been consistently correct on the problems with the F-35. They have not been wrong a single time.

I think that it would be devastating, obviously.

One, how does that affect your planning? Two, what effect would it have if sequestration kicked in again in 2016?

I believe the drop to dangerously low end strength levels will impact the ability of the Marine Corps to respond effectively.

We live in troubling times, with more instability and unrest around the world than we've seen in recent history.