I want to thank the chairman and Mr. Smith for long before this sequestration became a reality, they were sounding the sentinel about what it would mean.

the obstacles to Afghan women both joining the military and the police and remaining in the military and police are myriad

I think we certainly ought to talk to women leaders in our Armed Forces.

Maybe the committee could ask the witnesses to evaluate this idea of women in our Armed Forces being given some special institutional role to help the Afghan women.

I think one of the best ways to assure the fair and good treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan is to try to increase the power and influence that Afghan women have over various institutions within that country.

A bill that Mr. Courtney introduced on April 17th that would put off that rate increase for 2 years, would not add a penny to the deficit.

I understand these goals are integrated, they all relate to each other.

But a critical piece of addressing the enemy situation in Afghanistan is going to be where Pakistan is with regards to supporting the enemy inside of Pakistan.

I know what is supposed to happen when those Special Ops forces are no longer in the country doing that.

Thank you for your service to our country and please convey to the men and women that you lead how proud we are of them and how much we support them and want them home safely.

this is an area where I think we will deeply regret not staying current, not staying ahead of the rest of the world if we don't make some unpleasant choices about base structure.