I hope that you will be very tough on your partners in these situations because my sense is from dozens of hearings here both in this committee and others that the private sector is not fully cognizant of the threat that they are under…

I think it is absolutely essential that we stay engaged in this for them.

I believe that UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] gives Russia the potential to, 'Own almost half of the Arctic Circle.'

It will help us to be able to provide you with the funding that you need if we can tell our constituents they are being audited.

I think it's actually Russia who doesn't want it to move forward.

Theoretically they would be able to do that.

I think that's one of the things that's lacking--prior administration, current administration. Let's just get it done.

Hopefully we have just passed a 2-year budget authorization. Hopefully again we will have the final numbers within the next two or three weeks, and then we will be able to move forward.

We have to make an important decision here within the next hour, which is the confirmation of Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State.

I believe that China seeks regional hegemony.

I believe he would do a victory dance.

But if we are dealing with a peer competitor who has submarines and underwater drones and aircraft, that is a whole different calculation.

F-35 operations and sustainment costs are a major concern

It seems to me that really underlines the importance of the MSP program.

What you said at the beginning was very important, reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

We're 8 months late now.

The Army doesn't have a very stellar record in the history--in recent history, in terms of acquisition.

What bothers me is that in your budget under NNSA, there is a significant increase for weapons activity.

I take it that we are now trying to play catch-up in terms of our capabilities to operate in a contested environment.

It's important today that we not take for granted the importance of these values.

My concern is that the whole strategy of deterrence breaks down if you are talking about terrorists having nuclear weapons or a nuclear device.

I think countries, at least historically, that choose presidents for life, it doesn't end well for their own people.

I am not attacking you. I am attacking the failure of our structure to adequately get at a problem when we have it right in front of us.

I think it is very important that the public understand that we are talking about the lowest percentage of GDP for the defense budget in something like 70 years, 3.1 percent.

The influence that we derive with them is by working with them to demonstrate how we do our targeting process.