Mazie Hirono

It will be a long time before China is ready to be in something like TPP, but I think the Chinese leaders see momentum behind it.

I would say that that is a priority.

If the fiscal year 2015 NDAA is executed and the transfer of AH-64 Apaches from the Army National Guard (ARNG) to the Active Component (AC) is not delayed or hindered in any way, AH-64 Apaches will arrive in Hawaii in May 2016.

Jungle Warfare training is an important capability which the United States has not had since the closure of the Jungle Training School in Panama.

I would like to keep it that way, coming from Hawaii as I do.

We had an Armed Services Committee hearing this morning talking about how important the Asia-Pacific area is to national security and the stability of that part of the world, as other parts of the world continue to be unstable.

Would you all agree that cybersecurity is an ever-changing environment? It is like the new arms race.

Without the contribution that the Jones Act brings to the support of our industry there is a direct threat to national defense.

I would hate to think of an Iranian ship that has LNG that's sitting in the middle of St. Louis' port.

I represent a state that is 90 percent dependent on shipping and the Jones Act does provide us with that reliable service.

For our Federal agencies then basically the concerns that you have raised about this bill are concerns that could be addressed to allow this bill to go forward for both of you.

I would like to get a better understanding of this bill and putting it into context.

Well, I think it's important because clearly the majority of the people who enjoy our public lands are not hunters and fishermen.

Well, Hawaii has a lot of hunters and fishermen and women, so I certainly support these activities.

Do not sequester again. I have to join the chair and the ranking member to say that the sequestration was inherently deleterious to everything we were doing.

Sequestration is devastating.

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.

Absolutely the decision to declare IOC will be event-based and conditions-based based on us achieving what we have to do to deliver a combat capability to our marines.

How does the Navy plan to execute the cruiser modernization plan?

You mentioned, though, there are eight shipbuilding facilities, and four of them are only one contract away from going under.

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.

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

I share the Chair's focus on the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.

I realize that Secretary Hagel wanted to focus on survivability.