Duncan Hunter

I think this might be our last Arctic hearing that we have on this, because I don't think anybody really wants an icebreaker.

Americans are tired of being at war.

I maintain that we were right to not get involved in Syria.

Last month, I offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which stated that the United States should only agree to a comprehensive agreement with Iran if three conditions are met: One, Iran must cease enriching uranium…

But what the problem has always been is that you can't complete your mission, because you have too many missions and not enough assets to do it. Right?

When you look at it right now, for instance, you have--the Coast Guard pulled, I think, how many of their ships from SOUTHCOM?

What we need is a real--what you look at, and what your prioritized Mission Needs Statement is in real life. That is constrained by the budget.

Great, we will do it. That is a great idea.

He gives them a four times the area to patrol, while still not having enough assets.

But they have that now. They already have that.

It only takes one, anyway, correct? Yes. You know, I would agree with you if I think that every single person in every military service could be trusted to use their best professional opinion and their personality to ensure the job getting…

the President is yet again proposing a budget that could doom it to failure.

the Coast Guard currently operates tens, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of hours short of its operational targets.

At some point you have to ask for what you can get.

The only way you keep people from fishing in a marine sanctuary is Coast Guard patrols.

If the President is going to continue to send us budgets that fail to pay for the assets needed to meet Coast Guard mission needs, then it is time for him and to you to review the Coast Guard mission responsibilities.

I mean you want a risk assessment based on how the world is, not what we can afford, right?

So, I guess our question is more about prioritization and how they come to their risk-based assessment.

This will further delay the delivery of new assets, increase acquisition costs for taxpayers, exacerbate growing capability gaps, and seriously degrade Coast Guard mission effectiveness.

What you are admitting is there is a bad system. You said--so basically you are saying there is systemic problems, and we rely right now upon the personality and direct intervention of those professionals with experience to determine the…

I would like to see the risk-based prioritization that you are doing.

Plus CBP, not the Coast Guard, does most of the scanning. Customs and Border Protection.

We are asking for a QDR from the Coast Guard.

General Mattis called that Handshake Con.

I think that the President should have been better briefed by folks in your department that knew what those options were.