if we gave more authority to you three to manage your programs, would that relieve some of this burden and speed things up?

Congress can help strengthen recruitment and retention of the best talent by making the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund (DAWDF) and the Expedited Hiring Authority (EHA) permanent.

Without a capable and motivated workforce, all the changes to rules and regulations will not amount to much.

As Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford recently said, there is an amphibious ship and connector capability gap that we must deal with if we are to revitalize amphibious forces and meet global demand.

General, I assume you are familiar with the advanced amphibious assault vehicles that China appears to have developed.

What we want to do is add stability to the industrial base.

I think there is some question that the software in the F-35 will provide us with a lot more capability, but only if it is working.

Acquisition Reform has been around as long as the Government has been procuring items.

I think it takes time for us to establish the processes and how exactly you're going to implement this fund.

If we were to go down a path of open competition... there is tremendous uncertainty.

The fiscal uncertainty that we have been operating under for too many years has resulted in a chronic and increasingly dangerous disconnect between strategy, military requirements, budget estimates, appropriations, and the efficient and…

I am concerned that sequestration could disproportionately impact the Marine Corps on everything from modernization to readiness.