04/12/2011
https://www.congress.gov...
"I have great respect for Secretary Gates and praise him for his service to this country."
"Leon Panetta, who has served honorably and successfully in Congress, at OMB, at the White House, and now the CIA, is prepared and uniquely qualified to be another outstanding Secretary of Defense."
"If confirmed, my number one job will be to ensure that America continues to have the best-trained, the best-equipped, and the strongest military in the world in order to make sure that we protect our ..."
"Our All-Volunteer Force has been stretched by combat that has lasted nearly a decade."