Are we at the point where we are risking an Air Force that is too small to accomplish the missions that it is assigned?

the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, is the gold standard, just to get that on the record

Are we at the point where we are risking an Air Force that is too small to accomplish the missions that it is assigned?

The U.S. Border Patrol reported a record 2.5 million encounters of foreign nationals entering our country along the southwest border without authorization in fiscal year 2023.

the most imminent threat to the U.S. homeland, and our citizens abroad, as well as our allies, may well be the reconstituted terrorist factions that have grown since our abandonment of Afghanistan.

I want to ensure that we are taking every action necessary to try to lessen or prevent the chances of such a tragedy ever happening again.

Mr. Secretary, can you direct CBP to provide these essential seasonal services in Maine?

I would suggest to you that pausing or delaying the delivery of weapons to Israel is a decision, and it is a decision that most Members of Congress would take issue with.

I am a very strong supporter of assisting both Ukraine and Israel.

I think that is totally inconsistent with the tremendous contributions that each of the components make to our national security.

I intend to draft legislation that would require our Military Services to report to the appropriate authorities when someone... poses a threat.

It is difficult for us to make the case, which we want to make, if you are not obligating the money.

I would also note that it does not help the process that the President is late by a month in submitting his budget.

I am just very concerned that we not try to micromanage Israel's right to defend itself against a terrorist group backed by Iran.

I am concerned that military program managers are rewarded for embracing the status quo and not taking prudent risks.

I think we need to remember and always remind ourselves that it was Hamas that massacred 1,200 Israelis.

I think we need to remember and always remind ourselves that it was Hamas that massacred 1,200 Israelis.

The civilian personnel system at DoD too often is slow and overly bureaucratic.

I hope we will continue to support.

I think our Coast Guard does not advocate for their budget sufficiently enough.

Thank you very much, Chairman Tester for holding this very important hearing.

We have seen the Coast Guard resources basically being cannibalized.

Unfortunately, we then ran into roadblocks in getting the bills brought to the Senate floor.

It's worth pointing out, as the Chairman has, that the bipartisan National Security Supplemental that the Senate passed more than 2 months ago includes more than $3 billion to bolster the submarine industrial base to help address the…

We cannot forget... how many adversaries we have and Iran is certainly among them.