Claire McCaskill

I first want to thank Secretary Hagel and General Dempsey for responding to concerns that we have expressed.

As we conduct the Pacific Pivot, will all payments be in the form of cash settlements?

The Navy is currently projecting a strike fighter shortfall due to continued delays in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

Will Congress receive advance notice and justification of any intent to accept in-kind payments?

For example, in Japan, U.S. nonpersonnel costs have doubled since 2008 while the Japanese have contributed less every year since 2000.

One of AFRICOM's central missions is to strengthen the defense capabilities of African states.

How are you balancing our military presence in Africa with our diplomatic responsibilities?

I don't think one general should be able to overturn a jury.

Building infrastructure has been important to our counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The problem here is not just contracting with the enemy.

I think there's a culture issue that's going to have to be addressed here.

I'm a big believer that one of the most important things we have to do in the healthcare area is unleash the American consumer. I mean, we are good shoppers. We know how to shop.

I have also read the Time magazine article, and I will tell you, I think that there is a rebuttal that is--needs to be put out there on some of the things that are in that article.

Obviously, if this reform went away, they would be back on the market. That's quite a rate shock.

I mean, I believe that if you look at it--if you back up, you've got a population that's paying 70 percent of what the costs actually are, and another population that's paying 130 percent of what the costs actually are.

The USPS did not adequately consider the impact of eliminating a day of mail service on rural and remote communities.

So sign me up for the compromise, for painful cuts and for some revenue.

If you have specific recommendations after seeing that movie on how we can all look ourselves in the mirror and feel much better about the victims of sexual assault within the military, I would love to hear your specific ideas.

I really think it's time for us to do a gut check on whether or not we should, in fact, be relying on inept local militia or inept contractors.

I really would like, General Dempsey, for you to talk about the cost-benefit of putting marines on our embassies...

Giving the victim more power, empowering the victims so they do not feel like that they are being swept up in a system that nothing's going to happen and they have no control over.

I'm glad that that is definitely going to get fixed.

I really want to focus now on the two problems that we're all trying to get at, and that's retaliation and reporting.

You're aware of the fact that all victims, like the Air Force has role-modeled, are going to have their own lawyers.

I want to try to clarify that that is not an accurate description of discussions in the policy changes that are being debated.