I agree with Governor Mabus that this is an extremely high priority for the Department.

The MHPI program authority is slated to expire in 2010. What can we do to assist the Army and DOD to ensure that this program remains in effect after 2010?

I was just wondering, what steps can we take in working with the Mexican Government and security officials to curb the flow of cash and these assault rifles across the border?

Our troops and resources in Afghanistan must be used to build trust with the Afghans.

Thank you so much for your commitment to our country, to our military, to the men and women serving in the military, and, in particular, to their families, too.

It's essential that our strategy in Afghanistan is centered on protecting the Afghan people from the Taliban.

I believe that the Army needs to establish the protocol that the contract management be established directly between the Army and the uniform treatment vendor.

In our meeting with President Karzai last week, he emphasized the importance of defining the mission in Afghanistan and to work with Pakistan on the other side of the border.

These issues have to be addressed now.

I think that succeeding in Afghanistan requires partnership built upon the strong relationships that we have with the Afghan Government, national security forces, and above all the local populace.

Congress established the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) in 1996 as a tool to help the military improve the quality of life for its servicemembers.

I think that there will be such a large number of children going to the schools in the community also, that a lot of attention needs to be addressed to that issue.

The people of North Carolina are very pleased about the results of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.

We have to focus on this more aggressively.

It was certainly educational for me to be there, but to see the terrain that our military is working on.

I understand that we are slow in getting the civilian numbers up and going, and obviously, it has to be secure in order to do that.

Transnational terrorism, I think, is among the most important threats that the United States must be capable of combating and deterring.

I believe that the stability of Afghanistan is dependent upon the stability of Pakistan.

Thank each and every one of you for your comments, and I look forward to working closely with you.

How do you plan on interacting with China to accomplish mutual objectives given the communication constraints?

We need to enable the Pakistan army and the Frontier Corps with the capacity and capability to conduct sustainable direct action missions.

It is important that we replace the M4 with a new state-of-the-art weapons system that meets the operational requirements of our military in theater.

I take responsibility here, and this excellent appropriator--if we could look at what are those jolts that we could do now...

I don't think increasing health insurance premiums, cutting wages, and forcing 14 million more Americans into Medicaid is 'what women want.'