Ben Nelson: “So is it fair to say that we are buying to test rather than buying to stockpile weapons?”

We cannot just be catching up or trying to stay at par with the rest of the world or otherwise our defenses are down.

It is encouraging to know that there is that effort at coordination and collaboration because if there is any quick way to lose opportunity or to miss optimization, it is everyone going off on their own way.

Let me add my thoughts. We ask you to reduce budgets, to watch the growth, and then when you come before us after you've done it, then we question why you've done it and whether you've done it right or not.

If there were trust, then it would be much easier for the oversight to move away from transactional to more directional.