if you are not in a position to come before this committee with the training and the basing and maintenance, I am probably going to oppose the lease altogether

I do not think there has been a time in our history that we have had to call up so much of the Reserve component.

You are going to have to come to this committee for ratification of that lease agreement, is that correct?

Does the budget adequately fund that program to meet the congressionally-mandated time line, that is fielding this by 2008?

I wrote them down. You said we are in the most dangerous security environment the world has ever known, and I agree with that.

Do you feel that this budget give you all the money necessary for you to get something deployed against a missile attack, at least a partial missile attack, or do you need something more in there?

Every time I hear the argument that we don't want to enhance our nuclear capability because they will do the same thing, if you carry that to its logical conclusion, if we just disarmed, then everyone else would disarm too and we wouldn't…

It is not a lack of patriotism. It is not a lack of desire, but they cannot do it and hold onto their jobs.

We have to have something that is better.

Everyone I have talked to in the Army said 'We have to have the Crusader.'

I think, Mr. Chairman, it is going to have to cost more if we have that commitment that we are going to send them out with the best.

With the resources we have right now, we are not ready to the level that I think we should be ready.