Kelly Ayotte

I was concerned about what this would mean in terms of our readiness.

General Fraser, were these readiness risks associated with this proposed MPF reduction included in the DOD risk assessment that is being finalized?

I hope that you'll convey, obviously, to the Chief of Staff and to your commander how important it is that this be an open and objective process.

The criteria that comes out for the basing of the KC-46A will be objective and transparent

General Fraser, what are the readiness risks associated with these slower response times?

I want to echo concerns that Secretary Panetta himself, having gone through this process, raised before the House committee in October...

These are very dangerous individuals if they are as they've been reported by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.

If these reports, public reports, are accurate, we're talking about individuals who, senior-most Taliban commander in northern Afghanistan, someone who is an alleged war criminal in his role for the massacre of Shiite Afghans.

So when the President said that essentially he had to be given space to the Russians the other day, what he was really talking about is their concerns about us expanding or enhancing our missile defense system in Europe.

I certainly would like to know why, as reflected in the DOD fiscal year 2013 budget, the administration has not followed through on its commitment to modernization.

The reason that was done is because modernization was such an important issue to getting that treaty through the U.S. Senate because modernization is very, very important for our nuclear program.

If the President is not following through, why did we not include the $4 billion in the commitment on modernization?

It is critical, is it not, to modernization?

The 2013 budget request underfunds the commitment made that was expressly made in conjunction with the ratification of the START treaty by over $4 billion over the next 5 years.

Would that not be a broken promise from what was required by the 2010 NDAA and what was specifically contained within the 1251 plan?

I hope you could circle back with me on that.

Please let me know, as you go forward, what I can do to support their excellent efforts.

I fully commit to supporting that critical program.

I hope that is the case this time, but I am concerned about what I see as a mismatch between our stated national security objectives and a portion of the Pentagon budget proposal.

We cannot wait any longer to resume this critical work.

I look at that as first and foremost a force protection issue.

$60 billion of U.S. contracting funds had been wasted, misspent, or went in the wrong hands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We cannot keep releasing people like Daqduq who have the blood of Americans on their hands.

This is an issue that has to be addressed right away, and it is my hope that on a bipartisan basis, that we will put aside the election-year politics and get this resolved on behalf of all the men and women who serve underneath all of you…

I am also concerned that if we do not modernize in the way that I believe the President made a commitment in the confirmation of the New START treaty that it will be to the detriment of our nuclear deterrent and also in my view could…