Kelly Ayotte

Dr. Woodson, would this be a way to provide better care at a lower cost to the taxpayers for TRICARE For Life beneficiaries?

With all respect to the private sector, they do not endure what our soldiers do in battle.

We have a duty. Really, we have to 'bind up our Nation's wounds to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.'

This is not just any paperwork.

We should put that, if we do not show the courage to deal with the entire budget.

I think we have a duty, given what our servicemen and women have done, to really have a very hard discussion about this.

We would not be able to have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan without our Guard or Reserve.

We have over-promised and under-delivered for a long time.

We all want Iran to have to recalculate.

I want to thank you for your powerful testimony repudiating some of the arrant and outrageous rhetoric that sometimes comes from President Karzai about our troops.

General Breedlove, what operational risk would a delayed fielding of the KC-46A incur for the Air Force's air refueling capability?

The Navy projects that it will only have 39 attack submarines--9 submarines short of what our Nation needs.

The Navy was only able to support 61 percent of combatant commanders' requirements for attack submarines in fiscal year 2011.

I am concerned that a significant majority of our non-deployed Marine Corps forces are in a degraded state of readiness.

General Austin, if the National Guard is to be ready to respond to combatant commanders' requirements, then they should be resourced, trained, and ready, like any other operational unit. Is that the Army's plan?

Providing enough time between deployments has for years been the foundation of the balance of training and manpower readiness for the Army.

General Breedlove, what would be the impact of breaking the existing contract on our taxpayers?

General Austin, in the New Defense Strategy, does the Army consider the National Guard a part of its operational reserve?

General Breedlove, if sequestration goes forward, will the Air Force have to break the KC-46A contract and renegotiate a new contract?

From a readiness perspective, I would like to ask you a few questions as well.

General Breedlove, what would be the impact on the KC-46A fielding timeline?

The optimal force structure for amphibious lift requirements is 38 amphibious ships to support the operations of 2 MEBs.

The Annual Report to Congress on the Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2013 projects the battleforce inventory to reach 300 ships in fiscal year 2019.

To avoid this same fate, the Services have taken steps with the drawdown proposed in this budget to actually reduce units along with end strength to ensure the remaining units can be manned at full strength.

Last year, the Navy announced plans to place 6 of 16 ships from the 3-squadron MPFs for the Marine Corps into reduced operating status beginning in fiscal year 2013.