this is a self-inflicted situation and brought about by political gridlock. So it is going to take us sitting here, along with the President, to get out of this gridlock.

For the Americans who lost their lives in Benghazi-- Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty--they were heroes and they represented our country proudly.

I think that probably leads to a more heightened priority for those areas in terms of the safety of our people.

the welfare, the safety, the success of our men and women in uniform is my top priority, has been and will continue to be, and their families.

It is important to our national security to have leadership in the Department of Defense right now.

the continued budget uncertainties the Department faces will inhibit our ability refresh the workforce.

any Secretary of Defense should ask tough questions, maybe not particularly politically popular questions.

Certainly, continuing to fund research and development efforts in these areas will accrue to us in the long term in terms of huge, huge cost savings for DOD.

Senator Hagel has tremendous breadth of leadership in both the public and the private sectors.

the furloughs have created difficult situations for many.

should climate surveys be kept to monitor potential long-term issues?